Department of Psychiatry Receives $10M to Launch the Dr. Herbert Pardes Scholars Initiative

The Essel Foundation Inc. made a transformational gift of $10 million to the Department of Psychiatry to establish the Dr. Herbert Pardes Scholars Initiative—an ambitious new program designed to support the careers of outstanding junior faculty members as they develop into leaders in the field of psychiatry.

The initiative will provide flexible supplementary support for 25-30 exceptional assistant professors in the department. Scholars will receive critical resources that enable them to pursue bold lines of research, launch pilot studies, and develop the foundation for future federal funding and academic advancement.

The initiative is a meaningful tribute to the legacy of Herbert Pardes, MD, and his lifelong contributions to mental health and academic medicine. Dr. Pardes (1934-2024) served as chair of the Department of Psychiatry (concurrently serving as director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute) and as vice president for health sciences at Columbia and dean of the Faculty of Medicine at VP&S, before joining NewYork- Presbyterian as president and CEO. The Essel Foundation is the family foundation created by Steve and Connie Lieber, long-standing friends of Dr. Pardes and benefactors of the Department of Psychiatry.