Abstract
Joe Biederman passed away on January 5, 2023 at the age of 75, surrounded by his family. He was a beloved husband, father and grandfather. Joe died from complications of mantle cell lymphoma. The son of Ana and Max Biederman, his parents were Holocaust survivors, saved by Oskar Schindler. Joe was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. The family immigrated to Argentina where he grew up together with his twin brother Leon. At age 23, Joe graduated from the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine and the following year began his psychiatry residency at Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem. Joe moved to the United States in 1978 and began a fellowship in child psychiatry at Children’s Hospital, Boston. In 1980 he joined the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Psychiatry.
Joe is regarded by many as the father of pediatric psychopharmacology. He demonstrated tireless dedication to the examination of the causes, diagnoses and treatments of ADHD across the lifespan as well as other childhood conditions including autism and bi-polar disorder. A pioneer, some would say a rebel in the field of child psychiatry, Joe was a staunch advocate for his patients and their families. He mentored hundreds of psychiatrists in training, leaving a worldwide legacy. He personally treated thousands of patients throughout his more than 40 plus year career at MGH. In addition to his exceptional competence as a psychopharmacologist, he was highly regarded as an empathic physician, beloved by his patients and their families.
Joe’s research propelled the field of ADHD and Child Psychiatry. By 2007 he was the most cited psychiatrist and child psychiatrist in all of medicine, as well as one of the most productive researchers at Harvard Medical School, authoring or co-authoring hundreds of peer-reviewed articles. Joe served as the Chief of the Clinical and Research Programs in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD; Director of the Alan and Lorraine Bressler Clinical and Research Program for Autism Spectrum Disorders at MGH; and Professor of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School until his death. For the past eight years Joe also served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Attention (JAD) Disorders. Even during his illness, he continued to contribute to JAD. As the Editor in Chief of JAD I often struggled to review and track the hundreds of papers submitted each year. I could always rely on Joe to critically and quickly review papers sent him to determine those worthy of moving into peer review. He will remain an Editor Emeritus on the JAD masthead. A festschrift issue of JAD is planned honoring Joe’s memory. In addition, each year an article published in JAD making an important contribution to applied, clinical practice will be chosen to receive the Joseph Biederman Memorial Award.
Although work was important, nothing meant more to him than his family. His wife of 42 years, Helen Charlupski, was, he once told me, the love of his life. He cherished watching his three children grow up and thrive as well as welcoming his son and daughter-in-law into the family. Most recently he delighted in becoming Papa Yossi to his four grandchildren. He is survived by his wife, Helen; children, Itai Biederman, Daniela (Seth) Waldenberg, Ari Biederman (Tracy Webber); grandchildren Noah, Jacob and Kayla Biederman and Lila Waldenberg; and his brother Leon (Aviva) Biederman.