We are delighted to announce the launch of a major capital campaign for the Department of Psychiatry to fund the Lee I. Ascherman, M.D. Endowed Chair in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. This Chair will serve as a critical resource in recruiting to UAB a top researcher in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry to carry on Lee's spirit of leadership, scholarship, and service for years to come. The funding of this chair and the recruitment effort of a leading scholar in this area are part of my ongoing commitment for further expansion of our already sterling Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
In his 26 year career, Lee has dedicated himself to the wellbeing of children and adults, whether his patients or not, and to education. Since coming to UAB in 1993, Lee has made an incredible mark on our department and the university by developing the residency program in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and starting the Engel Therapeutic Preschool. The residency program has graduated 24 residents since inception and has maintained full accreditation in the process. Lee has served as the Founding President of the Board of Directors at the Spring Valley School for Learning Disabilities in Birmingham for the past nine years, as well as serving as the President of the Birmingham Psychoanalytic Study Group. He is board certified in Adult, Child, and Forensic Psychiatry, as well as in Adult and Child Psychoanalysis.
Throughout his career, Lee has received numerous advocacy and teaching awards as well as recognition for his leadership and outstanding service. He has mentored countless physicians and analysts at UAB and around the country. At UAB, he currently serves as Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Director of the Residency in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Chief of Service of Psychiatry at The Children's Hospital of Alabama. He has been instrumental in building child and adolescent psychiatry in the state of Alabama. Lee also serves as Director of the Engel School, a therapeutic school located within the division, that serves students ages preschool through high school.
Lee has made a major mark on UAB and in particular our department, and we can think of no better way to honor him and his legacy than the establishment of this Chair. Please join us in thanking Lee for all of his wonderful contributions, and congratulating him on this recognition of his accomplishments.