2013
Frank W. Putnam, MD is widely regarded as a preeminent researcher, clinician and teacher on the health effects of violence and abuse. He has been a national leader in assuring that children have safe, healthy and nurturing families where all children can achieve their full potential.
Frank is a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He was formerly a Professor of Pediatrics and Child Psychiatry at Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Following completion of his residency in adult psychiatry at Yale University in 1979, Dr. Putnam joined the National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program in Bethesda, Maryland, where he first encountered large numbers of adult patients who had been abused as children. This led him to complete a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry and to focus his research on the psychological, biological and social effects of child abuse.
In 1999, he became Director of the Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children, which is dedicated to improving prevention, evaluation and treatment services for traumatized children and their families. The Center, which sees over 2000 children a year, has a strong research and training program focused on providing effective interventions for the complex, and often difficult, family situations associated with child abuse and neglect. Dr. Putnam is the author of over 160 scientific publications and 2 books on topics related to child abuse and neglect.
