Carol C. Nadelson, M.D.
Harvard Medical School
Brigham & Women's Hospital
Boston, MA

For over four decades, Dr. Carol Nadelson has been involved in the career development of women clinicians and researchers after graduation from medical school. In 1979, she was selected as vice chair of the Department of Psychiatry at New England Medical Center and Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine. In 1984, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) elected her as its first woman president. She has been clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS) since 1995. She was editor in chief, president and CEO of American Psychiatric Press, Inc., from 1986 to 2001.

Many of her appointments have allowed her to influence policy. Dr. Nadelson was appointed to chair a section of the HMS Admissions committee; served on the Council on Medical Education and Career Development, APA's Ethics Appeals Board; chaired the Committee on Medical Student Education and the Council of National Affairs. She has been representative to the Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee, to the Council of Medical Specialty Societies, and their representative to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. She was elected to the HMS Faculty Council of which she is vice chair; and is a founder of Harvard's Joint Committee on the Status of Women.

She is a long time member of the AAMC women liaison officers group. Among her awards are election to Alpha Omega Alpha, the Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Psychiatry from the American College of Psychiatrists; the APA's Seymour Vestermark Award for outstanding contributions to psychiatric education; the AMA's Sidney Cohen Award for outstanding contributions to the understanding of addiction; the Boston YWCA's Woman of Achievement; the Elizabeth Blackwell Award; the American Medical Women's Association award for Recognition of the Outstanding Contributions to the Cause of Women in the Field of Medicine; and the AAMC Women in Medicine Leadership Development Award. In 2002, she received the Alexandra Symond’s award from APA, recognizing outstanding contributions to women’s mental health.

During her academic career, Dr. Nadelson has been a frequent presenter at academic and clinical conferences throughout the world. She has also been the Association of American Medical College’s AOA Visiting Professorship at Wright State University (1995), and the Distinguished Psychiatric Lecture (1996) for the American Psychiatric Association. She has written over 230 scientific publications and chapters, and co-edited over 40 books, and 18 tapes. She has presented over 1,000 talks nationally and internationally on a variety of topics including women’s health and mental heath, medical education, ethics, women’s leadership and career development. She co-edited a landmark series of books, "The Woman Patient," the first on this topic.

Dr. Nadelson has long been recognized as an authority on sexual harassment, assault, and misconduct. She has worked with Harvard and Tufts Medical Centers to bring rape prevention, counseling, and sexual harassment to the level of administrative awareness, and she has developed clinical and educational programs on sexual assault in Boston, the United States, and throughout the world. Dr Nadelson has presented internationally on the subject of professional boundary violations, and professional sexual misconduct. She has served on the AMA and Massachusetts Medical Society's Committee on Physician Health and the AMA Committee on Family Violence.

In 1998, she was selected as Director of the Partners Office for Women's Careers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School (OWC). The charge to the search committee consisting of male and female faculty was to find someone who had a demonstrated excellence in identifying, developing, and enhancing the academic medical careers of women. Because of OWC's uniqueness, Dr. Nadelson has been asked to guide other American teaching hospitals in developing similar offices. At Brigham and Women's Hospital, she formed the OWC Advisory Committee that works with her to identify projects and advocate for women's careers. This has led to the development of a much larger informal network that collaborates on advancement of professional women in the hospital. Dr. Nadelson is currently spearheading the development of an on site emergency childcare facility for patients and staff. Moreover, the OWC office kept the importance of equitable maternity benefits before the emerging BWH physician's organization.

In September 2009, Dr. Nadelson was awarded the 10th Annual Alma Dea Morani, M.D. Renaissance Woman Award by the Foundation for the History of Women in Medicine. Read More.