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.