Michael Myers, MD

Dr. Myers is a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and a past Vice-Chair of Education and Director of Training in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences here at SUNY-Downstate Health Sciences University. He served on the College of Medicine Admissions Committee for several years until June 30, 2022.

He is currently the medical student Ombudsperson and Co-Chair of the Learning Environment Committee of the medical school. Dr Myers graduated medical school in Canada and completed his psychiatry residencies at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, Wayne State University (Detroit General Hospital), and the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Myers’ publications include 10 books (his latest, "Physicians with Lived Experience: How Their Stories Offer Clinical Guidance", is forthcoming 2025) and over 150 articles, book chapters, letters, book reviews and 8 videotapes covering a range of topics: marital therapy, men and reproductive technology, divorce, sexual assault of women and men, AIDS, the stigma of psychiatric illness, gender issues in training and medical practice, the treatment of medical students and physicians, boundary crossing in the doctor-patient relationship, and suicide.

Dr. Myers is a recipient of multiple awards and is a Distinguished Life Fellow of both the American and Canadian Psychiatric Associations, a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (England).

He is a recent Past President of the New York City Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and remains an emeritus board member. As a specialist in physician health, Dr. Myers received the 2002 CAIR (Canadian Association of Interns and Residents) Resident Well-Being Award, a President’s Commendation Award of the Canadian Psychiatric Association in 2008, the Doctors of British Columbia Honorary Member Award in 2015, and a Special Commendation Award from the American Psychiatric Association in 2022. He teaches extensive courses in the residency on psychotherapy, suicide, how to teach, and physician health.

Dr. Myers lectures extensively throughout North America and beyond. His website is: www.michaelfmyers.com

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Education

• Undergraduate: Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Western University. Premed
• Medical School: Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Western University
• Internship: Los Angeles County General Hospital. University of Southern California
• Residency: Los Angeles County General Hospital. University of Southern California; Detroit General Hospital Wayne State University; University of British Columbia

Research Interests:

• Physician Health
• Suicide
• Psychotherapy
• Lived Experience in Physicians

Dr Myers' clinical research interests are twofold. First, he continues to study, examine and lecture on the stressors that are unique to medical students, physicians and their families - especially the role of stigma in the denial and delay of help seeking. Second, he is currently focusing on the aftermath of suicide and its devastating effects on family members, friends and colleagues. Much of his advocacy work is devoted to the policy and clinical dimensions of ensuring that vulnerable individuals are identified and offered timely treatment. He has begun work on his next book which is on physician suicide.

Conditions and Treatments

• Psychiatric Impairment in Physicians: Assessment  

 

• Myers MF and Fine C: Touched by Suicide. Gotham (Penguin) Books, New York, 2006
• Myers MF and Gabbard GO: The Physician As Patient: A Clinical Handbook for Mental Health Professionals. American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. Washington DC 2008
• Myers MF: The support and welfare of the student. In Teaching Psychiatry (eds) Gask L, Coskun B, Baron D. John Wiley & Sons, London, UK (2011)
• Myers MF, Fine C: Touched by suicide: bridging the perspectives of survivors and clinicians. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 37:119-126, 2007
• Rao NR, Kramer M, Saunders R, Twemlow SW, Lomax JW, Dewan MJ, Myers MF, Goldberg J, Cassimir G, Kring B, Alami O. An annotated bibliography of professional literature on International Medical Graduates. Academic Psychiatry 34: 68-83, 2007
• Myers MF: Physician impairment: is it relevant to academic psychiatry? Academic Psychiatry 32:39-43, 2008
• Klein, CA, Myers, MF: Afraid to Leave Home, Current Psychiatry June 2009 Vol 8 No. 6
• Myers MF: Physician suicide and resilience. World Medical Journal June 2011 Vol 57 No. 3
• Myers MF. A call to arms. Invited editorial commentary to Middleton JL, Today I'm grieving a physician suicide. Ann Fam Medicine 2008; 6: 267-269
• Myers MF. When psychiatrists die by suicide. Invited editorial. J of Clinical Psychiatry. December 29, 2010