Nationally renowned schizophrenia expert W. Gordon Frankle, MD, MBA, has been named chief of the Psychiatric Service at NYU Lutheran Medical Center, a member of NYU Langone Health System and its central hub in Brooklyn.

Dr. Frankle, who officially takes the reins of his new position on September 1, will oversee NYU Lutheran’s large inpatient, outpatient, and emergency psychiatric and behavioral health service, which is provided both at NYU Lutheran Medical Center and community-based NYU Lutheran Family Health Centers. Specific services include:

• A 35-bed acute care psychiatric inpatient unit
• Psychiatric inpatient and outpatient consultation
• Referrals services to longer-term or residential care
• A 24/7 psychiatric and behavioral health emergency room
• A continuum of mental health and substance abuse services at NYU Lutheran Family Health Centers-Sunset Park
• Supportive family services, including outpatient counseling, school-based behavioral health services, and behavioral health services in shelters

Behavioral health providers, such as psychiatrists, social workers, and psychologists, offer treatment for adults, children, and families utilizing individual, group, and family therapy; child and adolescent therapy; geriatric treatment; psychiatric evaluation; medication management; psychological testing; and case management.

“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Frankle to NYU Lutheran, where we enjoy a proud record of achievement in addressing the myriad of mental and behavioral health issues affecting all of the communities,” says Bret J. Rudy, MD, corporate chief medical officer of NYU Lutheran. “His appointment will only serve to strengthen our existing service, and help us expand access to reach other Brooklyn neighborhoods in need of mental health services.”

An Experienced Clinician and Researcher

Prior to joining NYU Lutheran, Dr. Frankle served for the past six years as chief of psychiatry at Rutland Regional Medical Center in Vermont. He came to Rutland Regional following tenure in academic medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where he most recently held the title of research director of Comprehensive Recovery Services and director of the Psychiatric Molecular Imaging Group. While at Rutland Regional, Dr. Frankle maintained an academic appointment as adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry at University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Frankle helped lead the fight to expand mental health and addiction services in Vermont following the closing of Vermont State Hospital. Under his direction, Rutland opened a new six-bed psychiatric unit and expanded outpatient treatment services for opioid-addicted pregnant women and patients requiring methadone treatment. His efforts contributed to being named Rutland Regional’s “Physician of the Year” in 2011.

In addition, Dr. Frankle will continue his nationally recognized research, specifically on the use of positron emission tomography to explore the pathophysiology and treatment of schizophrenia. His recent research has focused on investigating abnormalities in inhibitory neurotransmission in subjects with schizophrenia, specifically identifying alterations in GABA transmission early in the course of the illness. He is the author or co-author of more than 40 peer-reviewed articles in journals such as The American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine, Psychiatric Services, Journal of Nuclear Medicine, Neuropsychopharmacology, and Psychopharmacology.

“Dr. Frankle brings to NYU Lutheran and the NYU Langone Health System tremendous expertise in furthering our understanding of some of the most challenging areas of psychiatric medicine, particularly schizophrenia and addiction,” says Charles R. Marmar, MD, the Lucius N. Littauer Professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Langone. “His work has earned him national recognition, and we look forward to working collaboratively with him to further expand these fields of study.”

An alumnus of McGill University, Dr. Frankle earned his medical degree from New York Medical College. He completed his residency training in psychiatry at Harvard University in the Massachusetts General-McLean Hospital program, and a schizophrenia research fellowship at New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia University. In 2015, he earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

“I am delighted to join NYU Lutheran and NYU Langone,” Dr. Frankle says. “I look forward to working with individuals who are committed to delivering high quality mental and behavioral health care to Brooklyn residents, and to implement a shared vision for research, education and clinical excellence.”