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James Leckman, MD, PhD

Neison Harris Professor in the Child Study Center and Professor of Pediatrics; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health

Contact Information

James Leckman, MD, PhD

Office Location

Mailing Address

  • Child Study Center

    PO Box 207900, 230 South Frontage Road

    New Haven, CT 06520-7900

    United States

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Research Summary

Dr. Leckman is widely recognized as a master clinician with special skills in the evaluation and treatment of Tourette's syndrome (TS) and early onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Since the early 1980s, he has seen and evaluated hundreds of individuals with these conditions. In 1999, he edited with Dr. Donald J. Cohen, Tourette's Syndrome: Tics, Obsessions, Compulsions - Developmental Psychopathology and Clinical Care, published by John Wiley & Sons. Given its success, this volume was re-issued in paperback in 2001. More recently, Dr. Leckman edited (along with Davide Martino) a 30-chapter volume, entitled, Tourette Syndrome published in 2014 by Oxford University Press. Dr. Leckman's specific research interests include the interaction of genes and environment in the pathogenesis of TS and OCD. His research on these disorders is well known and multifaceted from phenomenology and natural history, to neurobiology (neuroimaging, neuroendocrinology, neuroimmunology) to genetics, to risk factor research (perinatal factors are important), to treatment studies.

Specialized Terms: Child and adolescent psychiatry; Tourette's syndrome; Obsessive/compulsive disorder (OCD)

Extensive Research Description

James F. Leckman, M.D. is the Neison Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Psychiatry, Psychology and Pediatrics at Yale. He serves as the Director of Research for the Yale Child Study Center. Dr. Leckman is a well known child psychiatrist and patient-oriented clinical investigator. His peers have regularly selected him as one of the Best Doctors in America. Dr. Leckman is the author or co-author of over 450 original articles published in peer-reviewed journals, seven books, and 145 book chapters. In 2002, he was identified by American Society for Information, Science and Technology as a “Highly Cited Researcher” - one of the world's most cited authors in Psychology and Psychiatry – in the top half of the top one percent of all publishing researchers.

In 1999, he edited with Dr. Donald J. Cohen, Tourette's Syndrome: Tics, Obsessions, Compulsions - Developmental Psychopathology and Clinical Care, published by John Wiley & Sons. Given its success, this volume was re-issued in paper back in the fall of 2001. More recently, Dr. Leckman edited (along with Davide Martino) a 30-chapter volume, entitled, Tourette Syndrome published in 2014 by Oxford University Press.

Clinical expertise

Dr. Leckman is widely recognized as a committed clinician with special skills in the evaluation and treatment of Tourette’s syndrome (TS) and early onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Since the early 1980s, he has seen and evaluated hundreds of individuals with these conditions. Physicians, patients and families from across the country and around the world regularly seek his advice. He is frequently invited to address professional, parent and advocacy groups at local, regional, and national meetings as well as international meetings. For example during the past four years, he has presented to professional and/or family groups in London, Rotterdam, Berlin, Rome, Johannesburg, Istanbul, Beirut, Sharm El Sheikh, Tehran, Tel Aviv, Taipei, Tokyo, Mexico City, Lima, and Sao Paulo. He is also a fully trained psychoanalyst.

Interdisciplinary research program on TS & OCD

One of Dr. Leckman’s main research interests has been the interaction of genes and environment in the pathogenesis of TS and OCD. His research on these disorders is well known and multifaceted from phenomenology and natural history, to neurobiology (neuroimaging, neuroendocrinology, neuroimmunology) to genetics, to risk factor research (perinatal factors are important), to treatment studies.

Formative Childhood and Peace Building

Most recently, in partnership with colleagues at UNICEF and the Mother-Child Education Foundation based in Turkey, Dr. Leckman has begun to explore the question whether strengthening families and enhancing child development is a path to peace and violence prevention. Related efforts include the Early Childhood Peace Consortium that was launched (September 2013) in New York in at the United Nations and the 15th Ernst Strüngmann Forum that took place in Frankfurt, Germany in October 2013. The deliberations of 40 international experts from a broad range of scientific disciplines are summarized in volume entitled, Formative Childhoods: The Transformative Power of Children and Families, published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press in 2014. More information is available at: https://ecdpeace.org/work-content/revolutionary-volume-pathways-peace-transformative-power-children-families.

Coauthors

Research Interests

Adolescent Psychiatry; Child Psychiatry; Tourette Syndrome; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Psychiatry; Tic Disorders; Global Health

Selected Publications

Clinical Trials

ConditionsStudy Title
Child Development & Autism; Children's Health; Mental Health & Behavioral ResearchAnger Control Training for Youth With Tourette Syndrome
Diseases of the Nervous System; Mental Health & Behavioral ResearchNeurofeedback for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
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