Bruce M. Cohen, has been appointed president

and psychiatrist-in-chief of McLean Hospital, effective July 1.

Currently senior vice president for research and training at McLean and professor of psychiatry at the Medical School, Cohen will succeed Steven M. Mirin, who will leave his McLean post at the end of the month to become medical director of the American Psychiatric Association in Washington, D.C. Cohen will be the 16th leader in the hospital's 186-year history.

"We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Cohen. He is part of the management team that has successfully led McLean through the challenges posed by enormous changes in the economics of healthcare over the past few years. His experience and leadership continue the momentum as we prepare for a new century of service to the mentally ill and their families," said Charles D. Baker, chairman of the McLean Hospital board of trustees. "Filling Steve Mirin's shoes is a very tall order. It is our good fortune to have the right person at the right time."

The announcement of Cohen as president comes during events celebrating McLean Hospital's $7-million expansion of its Mailman Research Center and the transformation of psychiatry and mental health services across Partners HealthCare System Inc. which includes McLean, Brigham & Women's, Massachusetts General, and Spaulding Rehabilitation hospitals, North Shore Medical Center, and Partners Community HealthCare Inc.

"I am honored to be given the opportunity to lead McLean at such an exciting time in its history," said Cohen. "The expansion of our Mailman Research Center and the creation of a new network for Partners Psychiatry that brings together some of the nation's most talented clinicians and most advanced research capabilities will redefine the delivery of psychiatric care in the United States. I believe this new network and enhanced facilities hold great promise for the patients and families McLean serves."

Cohen currently is responsible for oversight of all research activities and research administration at McLean which is 14th among all independent hospitals nationwide in National Institutes of Health funding. He is director of the McLean Brain Imaging Center, the McLean Molecular Pharmacology Laboratory and has oversight of the McLean Sleep Disorders Center.

Cohen also serves as director of the McLean Adult Psychiatry Residency Training Program, codirector of the Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital Adult Psychiatry Residency Training Program, and has oversight of medical student teaching and continuing medical education.

A highly respected investigator, Cohen's research focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. He is a laureate investigator and scientific advisory board member of the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression. In addition, he serves as an executive board member of the Division of Human Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at Harvard Medical School and is the author of 271 publications, including 127 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals.

Cohen received his medical degree and his Ph.D. in biology from Case Western Reserve University. He completed his residency training at McLean Hospital. He previously served as associate general director at McLean, responsible for oversight of research activities and clinical services in psychotic disorders and child and geriatric psychiatry.

Consistently recognized as one of the nation's best hospitals for mental health care, McLean Hospital maintains the largest research program of any private psychiatric hospital. It is a teaching facility of Harvard Medical School, an affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital, and a member of the Partners HealthCare System Inc.

Established in 1811, McLean is the oldest private psychiatric hospital in the country and the site of the country's first research laboratory in a psychiatric hospital (est. 1888). It is now home to one of the nation's foremost neuroscience research programs.