Harold J. Bursztajn, MD, Harvard Medical School
Harold J. Bursztajn has twenty-five years of
service as a distinguished patient care-focused clinician and as senior
clinical faculty at
Harvard Medical School. He is co-Director of the Program in Psychiatry &
the Law and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School
and author of the highly acclaimed book
Medical Choices, Medical Chances. This classic book has been reviewed
favorably in leading medical journals ranging from the New England Journal
of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association to the
Journal of the American Psychiatric Association. Among his other leading
contributions to medical and mental health education are two books Divided
Staffs, Divided Selves, a Case Approach to Mental Health Ethics and Decision
Making in Psychiatry and the Law, as well as, numerous articles in medicine,
psychiatry and clinical ethics.
Nationally, he consults clinically and forensically, provides second
opinions in patient care, conducts continuing medical education courses for
professionals and advises educational television programs and public
health-oriented media. He serves as a peer reviewer expert for leading
medical and psychiatric journals, non-profit medical and ethics review
organizations, health care and human services corporations and the
judiciary. His numerous awards and honors in the course of twenty-five years
of service as a Harvard Medical School clinical faculty member range from
the Solomon Faculty Research Prize to his nomination by the medical school
as one of two candidates for President of the Harvard Medical School Alumni
Council.
In addition to his twenty-five year commitment to patient practice, Dr.
Bursztajn consults nationally and internationally as a distinguished
forensic psychiatric expert. Among his areas of expertise are treating
vulnerable patients, improving medical and mental health decision making,
informed consent and malpractice risk reduction, and standards for the
forensic evaluation of employment related claims, diminished capacity,
psychiatric autopsies, and violence prevention.
A Note from Mike and Greg: Dr. Bursztajn's professionalism, mentoring and friendship is deeply appreciated.
He provided the Preface for our latest book, "Who Killed King Tut?"
His website covering Mental Illness and Death Penalty Mitigation is a must:
http://www.forensic-psych.com/articles/artCruz2.04.html. In
addition, read Dr. Burstajn's article on the "Rebirth of Forensic
Pyschiatry."
http://www.forensic-psych.com/articles/artRebirth.html
Readers might also enjoy his letter to
the New York Times on "False and Coerced Confessions."
False Confessions can be based on
helplessness, hopelessness, and interrogation dynamics. A forensic
psychiatric examination can help evaluate reliability of confession and
potential confounding factors. Dr. Bursztajn's evaluated and testified as a
forensic neuropsychiatric expert on altered mental states leading to false
confessions for Luc Angier. Mr. Angier was a city official wrongly accused
of a white collar crime who while depressed confessed to a crime he did not
commit (State of Maine v. Angier). Dr. Bursztajn's expert consultation and
testimony was seriously considered by the jury in its acquittal of the
defendant. Post acquital, further investigation proved the defendant's
innocence.
http://www.forensic-psych.com/articles/artNYT5-9-00.html as well
as other articles and presentations on "Preventing Violence in the
Courtroom."
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