David Pickar, M.D., is Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Dr. Pickar has served on the Psychiatry Drug Advisory Committee for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 2014-2018. He is Fellow Emeritus of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and is Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Dr. Pickar served as Chair of the Tenure and Promotion Committee in Intramural NIMH and received numerous honors and awards in the course of his career, including the Judith Silver Memorial Young Scientist Award of the National Alliance for the Mentally III (NAMI), the AE Bennett Neuropsychiatric Research Award of the Society of Biological Psychiatry and the Meritorious Service Medal for Exemplary Performance of Duty from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He has served as NIMH Consultant to the U.S. Secret Service and on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the American Foundation for AIDS Research.
Dr. Pickar is founder and President of Gabriel Sciences, a company whose mission is advancing the development of a novel treatment for schizophrenia. Dr. Pickar was also co-founder of Comprehensive Neuroscience, Inc a clinical trials and medical communication company where he served as a Director, Executive Vice-President and Chief Science Officer.
Per Google Scholar, Dr. Pickar has authored or co-authored over 400 publications and with over 27,000 citations and an h-index of 86.
David Pickar, MD
Dr. Pickar is the Producer of the documentary film, The Realities of Serious Mental Illness. Dr. Pickar practices psychiatry in Chevy Chase, Maryland with emphasis on the care of seriously mentally ill patients and select forensic matters. Dr. Pickar provides psychiatric services for Mobile Med a not for profit provider of care to a majority of minority and some of the most vulnerable patients in Montgomery County, Maryland. Dr. Pickar has served as psychiatric consultant to the US Special Prosecutor.
Dr. Pickar is a 1969 graduate of Rutgers College with Phi Beta Kappa distinction and Varsity Letter in Lacrosse. He received his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine in 1973. After completing his residency in psychiatry at Yale in 1977, Dr. Pickar joined the NIMH as a Commissioned Officer of the United States Public Health Service from where he retired as Captain (0-6) USPHS in 2000.
Edges of the Mind
Treating Schizophrenia as Psychiatry Evolves
A powerful memoir from one of America's leading psychiatrists, chronicling four decades on the front lines of serious mental illness and the remarkable transformation of psychiatry.
Coming Fall 2026
“This book is a powerhouse of drama and science and compassion told through the eyes of a doctor on the frontlines of our nation’s struggle with serious mental illness.”
- Tim Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics and Founder of UNITE