A noted psychiatrist, Dr. Pardes served as director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and U.S. Assistant Surgeon General during the Carter and Reagan administrations. He was also president of the American Psychiatric Association. In 1984, he was named chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and in 1989, was appointed vice president for health sciences for Columbia University and dean of the faculty of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. In 1999, Dr. Pardes was chosen to lead NewYork-Presbyterian.
Since that time, New York-Presbyterian has received numerous honors and recognition, including its current sixth-place position on the U.S. News & World Report “America’s Best Hospitals” Honor Roll and number-one overall Best Hospital in New York magazine’s 2006 “Best Hospitals” survey.
Dr. Pardes has been appointed to serve on commissions related to health policy by Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, including the Presidential Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry and the Commission on Systemic Interoperability. Dr. Pardes also chaired the Intramural Research Program Planning Committee of the NIH from 1996 to 1997. He is the former chairman of the Greater New York Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges and the New York Association of Medical Schools. He is chairman emeritus of the eHealth Initiative and a serves on the board of the Markle Foundation, organizations dedicated to improving quality, safety and efficiency of health care with information technologies.
Dr. Pardes serves on numerous editorial boards, has written more than 130 articles and chapters on mental health and academic medicine topics, and has negotiated and conducted international collaborations with a variety of countries including India, China and the former Soviet Union. He has earned numerous awards and accolades, including election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health, and the U.S. Army Commendation Medal.