McLean Establishes the Edward Peabody Lawrence Endowed Chair in Psychiatry

July 30, 2019

At a gala event held this month at the Belmont Country Club, McLean Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer Joseph Gold, MD, became the inaugural incumbent of the Edward Peabody Lawrence Endowed Chair in Psychiatry at McLean Hospital.

The chair, which endows the chief medical officer position at the hospital, was established by Partners HealthCare and McLean to honor Lawrence for his longtime service to both institutions. Funding for the chair comes from Partners, the McLean Board of Trustees, and individual donors.

“Ed Lawrence has been a remarkable champion for McLean, its patients, and their families for many years. We are eternally indebted to him for his clear vision, exemplary leadership, and relentless pursuit of care quality,” said Scott L. Rauch, MD, president and psychiatrist in chief for McLean. “I can think of no better name to place on an endowed chair that so wonderfully represents his legacy.”

Lawrence served as a member of the McLean Board of Trustees and the Partners board. He was on the McLean board from 1998 to 2011. He was on the Partners board from 1998 to 2008 and 2011 to 2017. Lawrence continues to be involved in both organizations as an honorary board member.

Dr. Joseph Gold
Dr. Joseph Gold is the first Edward Peabody Lawrence Endowed Chair in Psychiatry at McLean Hospital

Carol Vallone, chair of McLean Hospital’s Board of Trustees, lauded Lawrence for his “epic contributions to Partners and McLean as well as to the field of psychiatry.” Vallone cited Lawrence’s founding of the Quality of Care Committee at McLean, which focuses on “improving how we serve our patients and their families.”

Building on Vallone’s remarks, Partners HealthCare CEO Anne Klibanski, MD, said, “Ed was ahead of his time in recognizing the special and vitally important role that McLean would come to play in our local and national health care landscape. His work on the Lawrence Committee, created by then-Partners CEO Sam Their, resulted in the crafting of a new role overseeing psychiatry and mental health across Partners.”

In his remarks, Lawrence thanked former Partners CEO Dr. David Torchiana for his service to Partners and McLean and for helping to establish the chair. He commented on “the incredible progress McLean has made over the past 20 years.” He stated that “McLean is a strong member of the Partners community at a time when the importance of mental health has never been more critical, and the demand for McLean’s services and its world-leading research has never been greater. It was a privilege to have played a small part in the beginning of that wonderful transformation.”

In recognizing Dr. Gold on his appointment, Rauch said, “I have never known any other physician or care provider of any kind who more embodies the ideals of compassionate, evidence-based care.”

During his McLean career, Gold has served as clinical director of child and adolescent programs, chief of clinical quality, and chief of The Nancy and Richard Simches Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In his current role as chief medical officer, Gold oversees all of McLean’s clinical programs.

Gold accepted his appointment at the event by acknowledging his family, McLean, and Partners leaders, and his colleagues and friends. “Thank you all for your deep commitment to the McLean mission,” he said.

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