Dr. Ayman Fanous Named Professor and Chair of Psychiatry at SUNY Downstate
Aug 23, 2016
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Ayman Fanous, Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry
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Brooklyn, NY - Ayman Fanous, MD, has been named professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, as announced by Carlos N. Pato, MD, dean of the College of Medicine at SUNY Downstate.
Dr. Fanous was most recently a staff psychiatrist and chief of the Psychiatric Genetics Research Program at the Washington DC VA Medical Center, as well as associate professor of psychiatry at the Georgetown University School of Medicine.
In making the announcement, Dean Pato said, "This appointment is the outcome of an international search, with a special focus on the confluence of psychiatry and the field of genomics, conducted in the context of a cluster recruitment model seeking to advance Downstate's stature in the burgeoning field of genomic health." He added, "Dr. Fanous is well qualified to lead our Department of Psychiatry and contribute to genomics research at Downstate."
Dr. Fanous succeeds Distinguished Service Professor Stephen Goldfinger, MD, as chair of psychiatry. Dean Pato thanked Dr. Goldfinger for his service and noted, "Dr. Goldfinger has made an immense contribution to our institution and the field and we are delighted that he will continue to serve as a senior member of our faculty in the years to come."
Dr. Fanous has broad experience in both clinical and research education and training. This has encompassed a wide range of activities, including medical student lectures and electives, clinical supervision of psychiatric residents, and research training of residents, PhD candidates, post-docs, and junior faculty in human genetics.
Dr. Fanous received his medical degree from the School of Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University. He completed his psychiatric residency at New York University and worked in multiple facilities in the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (now NYC Health + Hospitals), as well as state, private, and VA facilities in New York City. He is deeply familiar with and appreciative of the complex and diverse cultural and social milieu of the city, and has long-standing professional relationships with physicians at Downstate, the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System, and other local institutions. Dr. Fanous will maintain his VA appointment, now through NY Harbor.
Dr. Fanous is a distinguished psychiatric geneticist. He has successfully competed for federal research funding as a principal investigator since 2002 and he is an author on 113 peer-reviewed journal articles. His research has enabled him to make important contributions to the current understanding of the genetic basis of psychiatric illness, especially schizophrenia. Dr. Fanous' work complements Downstate's Institute for Genomic Health, in which he will serve as associate director.
The Department of Psychiatry at SUNY Downstate is among the largest and most diverse in the country and offers a wide range of clinical services. It also supports an extensive array of research activities, many of which serve as training opportunities for both postgraduate and medical student education. The department's Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Laboratory is one of the most highly funded, long-standing, and internationally respected research sites in New York.
SUNY Downstate's Institute for Genomic Health is dedicated to exploring the role of genomic factors in the risk of and resilience to illness. As one of its major efforts, the Institute launched Genomic Psychiatry Cohort research at Downstate. The Cohort provides population-based samples necessary for large-scale genomic studies.
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.