Donald Goff

ISDM Associate Director, 
Marvin Stern Professor of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine

Dr. Goff is a translational clinical researcher who studies and treats schizophrenia. He pioneered the development of glutamatergic agents and folate supplementation for individuals with schizophrenia based on models from basic neuroscience and a personalized medicine approach. He is currently working in the areas of early intervention and the treatment of refractory symptoms employing strategies to enhance neuroprotection and neuroplasticity.

Dr. Goff was the Director of the Schizophrenia Clinical and Research Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School prior to moving to New York in February 2012 to become Vice Chair for Research in Psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center and Director of the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research. Dr. Goff earned his medical degree at the University Of California School Of Medicine, Los Angeles (UCLA), and completed his internship in Internal Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and his residency in Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston. His research fellowship in Psychopharmacology was completed at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston. Following training, he established the Schizophrenia Clinical and Research Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital of which he was Director for 20 years.

Dr. Goff has published over 200 articles concerning schizophrenia and related topics. At the MGH he developed a translational clinical research program integrating pharmacology, cognitive behavioral therapy, neuroimaging, and genetics to enhance our understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and to develop new treatments. This group has done pioneering work in the areas of functional imaging, metabolic effects of second generation antipsychotics, and glutamatergic agents. As Director of the Nathan Kline Institute and Vice Chair of Psychiatry at NYU Medical Center he is continuing his research directed at developing novel treatments for schizophrenia.

Dr. Goff is the recipient of the Kempf Award for Mentorship in Biological Psychiatry from the American Psychiatric Association; the Wayne Fenton, MD, Award for Exceptional Clinical Care; the Stanley Dean Award for Research in Schizophrenia from the American College of Psychiatrists and the Research Award from the American Psychiatric Association. He is also a member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and an Associate Editor of JAMA.