Great Neck-based Foundation Names New Leader

Whether it is an Oscar-winning portrayal of a character living with mental illness or a debate about funding mental healthcare, mental illness is more central to our nation’s dialog than ever before. One of the field’s leading nonprofit organizations, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation and its new leader Jeffrey Borenstein, M.D., are headquartered in Great Neck. The Foundation raises funds for research into depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and anxiety disorders like obsessive-compulsive and post-traumatic stress disorders. Through private donor contributions, it has funded close to $300 million in research grants since 1987. Their website, http://bbrfoundation.org, has information about the latest advances in psychiatric research, public events and free webinars.

In recent days the Board of Directors of the Foundation, which has made the Great Neck Plaza area the organization’s home for more than twenty years, named Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein its new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).  A board-certified psychiatrist, Dr. Borenstein, has dedicated his professional life to the mental health field and to improving the lives of people with mental illness. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief, American Psychiatric Association’s Psychiatric News; Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons; and Host of the award-winning public TV series “Healthy Minds” (broadcast here on WLIW and Thirteen).

“The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Board is very proud to have Dr. Borenstein leading the organization. As we enter our second quarter-century of awarding research grants, Jeff’s vast leadership experience and psychiatric background will further the momentum we have gained so that we can achieve the goal of all of our contributors—to find the answers to better treat and ultimately prevent and cure mental illness,” says Stephen Lieber, Board Chairman.

Tax-deductible contributions to the Foundation for research are invested directly into grants for the most promising research projects. The Scientific Council, an all-volunteer group of 138 leaders in brain research, leads the selection process. Scientific Council President Herbert Pardes, M.D., Executive Vice Chair, Board of Trustees, NY-Presbyterian Hospital, says this of Dr. Borenstein’s appointment: “Psychiatry and neuroscience are flourishing with sophisticated new techniques and approaches to study the brain. With Dr. Borenstein at the helm, I am confident we will achieve a new level of funding support to further the advances being made at this key juncture.”

“I am honored to serve as President and CEO of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation and to further its critical mission,” says Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein. “I have seen how research funded by the Foundation leads to productive lives for people with mental illness. But we have much more work to do. I am excited about this new challenge and look forward to working with all of the people associated with the Foundation who are so passionately committed to the cause. With scientific discovery there is hope for recovery and my goal is to substantially increase the amount of research we are able to support.”

For Foundation information, visit bbrfoundation.org or call 516-829-0091.