Wayne Fenton was an American psychiatrist

Psychiatrist

A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...

, well known for his academic contributions to the study of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...

 including key contributions to the classification of subtypes .

In 2006 he was murdered at his home office in Bethesda, Maryland

Bethesda, Maryland

Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...

 by a 19-year-old patient.

Professional career

Dr Fenton obtained his medical qualification from George Washington University School of Medicine in 1979 and psychiatric qualification from Yale and was a staff member at Chestnut Lodge

Chestnut Lodge

Chestnut Lodge was a historic building in Rockville, Maryland, United States, well known as a psychiatric institution. It was a contributing property to the West Montgomery Avenue Historic District.-History:...

 for more than 15 years

He worked for the National Institute of Mental Health

National Institute of Mental Health

The National Institute of Mental Health is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health...

as researcher and academic, writing a chapter on therapy for schizophrenia in a leading psychiatry textbook and had a significant impact on his clinical profession .