Frederick K. Goodwin MD

Frederick K. Goodwin, M.D., is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at The George Washington University and Director of the University’s Center on Neuroscience, Medical Progress, and Society. Dr. Goodwin’s research focuses on bipolar disorder, major depression and suicide. His policy interests include the impact of changing patterns of health care on quality and innovation in medicine.

Dr. Goodwin is a founding partner of Best Practice, a consulting firm providing expertise to pharmaceutical and biotech companies and managed care organizations worldwide. Dr. Goodwin’s role encompasses many facets including public policy analysis, patient and physician education, and the development of research protocols. A Best Practice study Dr. Goodwin headed found that lithium was significantly more effective than another widely used mood stabilizer protecting against suicide among 26,000 bipolar I patients.

Dr. Goodwin is a former Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Prior to that, he held a Presidential appointment as head of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration. A physician-scientist specializing in psychiatry and psychopharmacology, Dr. Goodwin served from 1981 to 1988 as NIMH Scientific Director and chief of Intramural Research. He joined the NIMH in 1965 and has become an internationally recognized authority in the research and treatment of major depression and bipolar illness. For example, he was first to report the antidepressant effects of lithium in a controlled study.