James P. Comer

James P. Comer
Born
James Pierpont Comer

(1934-09-25) September 25, 1934 (age 90)
East Chicago, Indiana, United States
Alma materIndiana University, Howard University, University of Michigan, Yale University
OrganizationsAmerican Medical Association, National Medical Association, American Orthopsychiatric Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Child Psychiatry, National Association of Mental Health (Mind (charity)), Society of Health and Human Values, Associates for Renewal in Education, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
AwardsThe Heinz Awards in the Human Condition (1997), John & Mary Markle Scholar in Academic Medicine, Outstanding Service to Mankind Award, Ebony Success Library Award, Distinguished Alumni Award, Howard University, Rockefeller Public Service Award, Solomon Carter Fuller Award; Harold W. McGraw Prize in Education, Vera Poster Award

James Pierpont Comer (born September 25, 1934 in East Chicago, Indiana) is currently the Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center and has been since 1976.[1] He is also an associate dean at the Yale School of Medicine.[2] As one of the world's leading child psychiatrists, he is best known for his efforts to improve the scholastic performance of children from lower-income and minority backgrounds which led to the founding of the Comer School Development Program in 1968.[3] His program has been used in more than 600 schools in eighty-two school districts.[4] He is the author of ten books, including the autobiographical Maggie’s American Dream: The Life and Times of a Black Family, 1988; Leave No Child Behind: Preparing Today's Youth for Tomorrow's World, 2004; and his most recent book, What I Learned in School: Reflections on Race, Child Development, and School Reform, 2009.[5] He has also written more than 150 articles for Parents (magazine) and more than 300 articles on children's health and development and race relations.[6] Dr. Comer has also served as a consultant to the Children's Television Workshop (Sesame Workshop) which produces Sesame Street and The Electric Company (1971 TV series). He is a co-founder and past president of the Black Psychiatrists of America and has served on the board of several universities, foundations, and corporations.[5] He has also lectured and consulted widely not only across the United States at different universities, medical schools, and scientific associations, but also around the world in places such as London, Paris, Tokyo, Dakar, Senegal and Sydney, Australia.[4] For his work and scholarship, Dr. Comer has been awarded 47 honorary degrees and has been recognized by numerous organizations.[6][7]

  1. ^ "Board of Directors". Achieving the Dream. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  2. ^ "James P. Comer, M.D." McGraw-Hill Research Foundation. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  3. ^ "2011 Nominees". The University of Oklahoma College of Liberal Studies. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Dr. James P. Comer Biography". TheHistoryMakers. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  5. ^ a b "James P. Comer". The Forum for Education and Democracy. Archived from the original on 21 November 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  6. ^ a b "James P. Comer, MD, MPH". Yale School of Medicine. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  7. ^ "Heinz Awards - James Comer".