The Department of Psychiatry is very sad to inform the Yale community of the death of Dr. William M. Glazer on June 24, 2013. Dr. Glazer was an active member of our faculty from 1978–2000, rising to the level of associate professor. Dr. Glazer also served on the faculty of Harvard University, where he was an associate clinical professor of psychiatry and was affiliated with the Massachusetts General Hospital. He also established Glazer Medical Solutions in Key West, Fla., and Menemsha, Mass.
Dr. Glazer was born in Hartford, Conn., on March 31, 1947. He graduated from Clark University in 1969 and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in 1973, and he completed his training in psychiatry at Yale University in 1978. After joining the Yale faculty, he emerged as a nationally renowned expert on the long-term motor side effects of antipsychotic medications. His research informed our current understanding of risk factors and treatments for tardive dyskinesia, a late-occurring and generally persistent movement disorder caused by long-term antipsychotic treatment.
As his career progressed, his work broadened to encompass the pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia, the development and delivery of cost-effective treatments for chronic mental illness, and the ethics and principles of the modern practice of psychiatry. He led a utilization review team for Aetna, providing him with experience that he used to establish the quality assurance program at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. After leaving Yale, he expanded his consulting and educational roles in the context of establishing Glazer Medical Solutions. He was involved in a number of medical education organizations including Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.; PsyLink; and serving as a contributing editor to the Journal of Psychiatric Services.
He remained an active and respected figure in the field of psychiatry for the remainder of his life, with honors including being designated among the “Best Doctors in America.” He is remembered fondly by his colleagues in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale for his vitality, enthusiasm, and commitment to his patients, his students, and his colleagues.
Bill is survived by his wife, Roseline; his children, Aaron, Hillary, and Jacob; daughters-in-law Dalia and Illana; and five grandchildren. He also is survived by his father, Harry; his brother, Dan; and his sister-in-law, Paula. He was predeceased by his mother.
Donations may be made in his name to Daybreak Clubhouse, PO Box 1993, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.
Submitted by Shane Seger on July 22, 2013