Kenneth Kendler

Kenneth Kendler
Psychiatric Geneticist Kenneth Kendler
Born
Kenneth S Kendler

(1950-07-12) July 12, 1950 (age 74)
New York City, New York
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipUS
Alma materUniversity of California, Santa Cruz, Stanford University School of Medicine, University of Birmingham, England
Known forPsychiatry, Schizophrenia,
Behavior genetics, Major depressive disorder
AwardsJoseph Zubin Award (2018)
Scientific career
FieldsPsychiatry
InstitutionsVirginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics
Doctoral advisorLindon Eaves

Kenneth S. Kendler (born July 12, 1950)[1] is an American psychiatrist best known for his pioneering research in psychiatric genetics, particularly the genetic causes of schizophrenia.[2] Kendler is one of the highest cited psychiatry researchers. Between 1990 and 1998 he was the 2nd highest cited psychiatrist, and for the 1997–2007 decade he was ranked 4th by Thomson Reuters' Science Watch.[3] He has authored over 1,200 papers and in 2016 his h-index was 126.[4] Kendler's group was also noted for the replication of a study of Avshalom Caspi on the interaction of stressful life events and a serotonin transporter polymorphism in the prediction of episodes of major depression.[5]

Kendler is a Banks Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Professor of Human Genetics, and Director of the Virginia Institute of Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics at the Virginia Commonwealth University.[6][7] Kendler is also one of the two Editors of Psychological Medicine. He served on the Work Group that revised the DSM-III, on the Task Force for DSM-IV, and on the DSM-5 Work Group for Mood Disorders.[8]

Kendler is also interested in philosophical issues in psychiatry.[6] Kendler co-wrote with Edith Zerbin-Rüdin, daughter of Nazi psychiatrist Ernst Rüdin, a history of Ernst Rüdin's work during World War II.[9] During World War II, Rüdin was a member of the Nazi Expert Committee on Questions of Population and Racial Policy who vociferously advocated the extermination of individuals with schizophrenia.[10] However, Kendler's articles on Rüdin have faced criticism for whitewashing his racist and later Nazi ideologies and activities.[11]

Kendler is the second son of Howard H. Kendler and Tracy Kendler, both of whom were influential academic psychologists.[12] They named their son Kenneth after Kenneth W. Spence, the doctoral advisor they both shared when studying at the University of Iowa.[13] Kendler is married to Susan Miller, with whom he has three children.[1]

  1. ^ a b Smith, Tammie (2015-12-13). "Kenneth Kendler: Digging into the roots of depression". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  2. ^ Richardson, W. Mark (2002-01-01). Science and the Spiritual Quest: New Essays by Leading Scientists. Psychology Press. ISBN 9780415257671.
  3. ^ Scientist Rankings in Psychiatry/Psychology
  4. ^ "Web of Science Citation Report". apps.webofknowledge.com. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
  5. ^ "New Hot Paper Comment by Kenneth S. Kendler". www.esi-topics.com. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
  6. ^ a b Fannon, Dominic (2006). "E-Interview: Kenneth S. Kendler". BJPsych Bulletin. 30 (12): 480. doi:10.1192/pb.30.12.480-b. ISSN 1758-3209.
  7. ^ "People at Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics". www.vipbg.vcu.edu. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
  8. ^ "Kendler, Kenneth. Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics". vipbg.vcu.edu. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
  9. ^ Zerbin-Rüdin, Edith & Kendler, Kenneth. (1996). Ernst Rüdin (1874–1952) and his Genealogic-Demographic Department in Munich (1917–1986): An introduction to their family studies of schizophrenia. American journal of medical genetics. 67. 332-7. 10.1002/(SICI)1096-8628(19960726)67:4<332::AID-AJMG3>3.0.CO;2-O.
  10. ^ See William E. Seidelman, Science and Inhumanity: The Kaiser-Wilhelm/Max Planck Society, first published in If Not Now Vol. 2 (Winter 2000), found at Doew.at (Revised ed., published 2001).
  11. ^ Gershon, Elliot S. (1997). "Ernst Rüdin, a Nazi psychiatrist and geneticist". American Journal of Medical Genetics. 74 (4): 457–458. doi:10.1002/(sici)1096-8628(19970725)74:4<457::aid-ajmg23>3.0.co;2-g. PMID 9259388.
  12. ^ "University of California: In Memoriam, 2001". California Digital Library. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  13. ^ Kendler, Kenneth S.; Prescott, Carol A. (2007-11-01). Genes, Environment, and Psychopathology: Understanding the Causes of Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders. Guilford Press. pp. v. ISBN 9781593856458.