Leadership

Donald C. Goff, MD, is the fourth Director in the 60+ year history of NKI, having assumed this position on February 13, 2012. Dr. Goff is also Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Psychiatry at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine.

Donald Goff came to NKI from Boston where he had been Director of the Schizophrenia Program at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is a native Californian who earned his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley, and his medical degree at UCLA. He completed his internship in internal medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and his residency in Psychiatry at MGH. Following his medical residency, Dr. Goff completed a research fellowship in psychopharmacology at Tufts-New England Medical Center.

At MGH, Dr. Goff built a translational research program consisting of 16 investigators with expertise in pharmacology, genetics, imaging, cognitive neuroscience, and cognitive behavioral therapy. His group has done pioneering work in the areas of functional imaging, metabolic effects of second generation antipsychotics, and glutamatergic agents. Dr. Goff has been the principal investigator for many studies concerning the treatment and management of schizophrenia.

Dr. Goff has published over 200 articles concerning schizophrenia and related topics. He was 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; and the Stanley Dean Award for Research in Schizophrenia from the American College of Psychiatrists. He is also a member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

Dr. Dan V. Iosifescu is Deputy Director of the Nathan Kline Institute and Professor of Psychiatry at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. He joined NKI in 2017, and he served as Director of the NKI Clinical Research Division until 2026.

After completing medical studies at the “Carol Davila” University in Bucharest, Romania, Dr. Iosifescu completed his medical internship and psychiatry residency at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and McLean Hospital. His research training included a neuroimaging fellowship in the Neuroscience Laboratory at Harvard Medical School, a psychopharmacology fellowship in the MGH Mood and Anxiety Disorders Institute, and a fellowship in the Clinical Investigator Training Program at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In parallel, Dr. Iosifescu received a Master of Medical Science degree from Harvard University. Dr. Iosifescu was Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a researcher at MGH until 2010; he then was Director of the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

The research teams led by Dr. Iosifescu have developed novel pharmacological treatments (such as ketamine, bupropion-dextromethorphan, and ketogenesis-enhancing drugs), devices (such as neurostimulation with near infrared laser), and digital therapeutics for patients with mood disorders (major depression and bipolar disorder) and Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Iosifescu has authored more than 250 papers in peer-reviewed medical journals, 21 book chapters and more than 200 abstracts. He has received a series of prestigious prizes: the NARSAD Young Investigator Award (which he received twice), the Kaplen Award and the Livingston Award from Harvard Medical School, the American Psychiatric Association Young Investigator Award, the NCDEU New Investigator Award, and a National Institute for Mental Health K23 Career Development Award. In 2024 Dr. Iosifescu was recognized by Clarivate as a Highly Cited Researcher (top .1%) in his field.  For his clinical work, Dr. Iosifescu was designated among the “Best Doctors in America” in all editions of “Best Doctors” since 2005, and among Top Doctors in Castle Connolly’s psychiatry section (all editions since 2015).

Tom Cunningham opens the line of communication between patients, staff, and businesses to get projects done. With over 20 years experience in both public and private sectors, Mr. Cunningham has experience in management consultation, team building, professional development, strategic implementation, and company collaboration. He has managed projects at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Mr. Cunningham holds an MBA from Mount Saint Mary’s College.