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Born in New York City, Dr. Israel Zwerling earned a Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia, and an M.D. from Downstate Medical Center. Before joining Hahnemann, he was director of the Bronx State Hospital, and Professor and Executive Chair of Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Dr. Zwerling won the 1965 Edward A. Strecker Award, which is conferred on an outstanding psychiatrist who exemplifies clinical and educational excellence. A pioneer in community mental health, he led the movement, advocated by President Kennedy, to shift psychiatric care from state hospitals to outpatient mental health centers. As Professor and Chairman of Mental Health Sciences at Hahnemann from 1973 to1985, and Vice President and Dean of its Medical School, 1985 to 1988, Dr. Zwerling established Hahnemann’s model Community Mental Health Center, and instituted a number of innovative mental health graduate programs, such as Research and Evaluation, Law and Psychology, and Family Therapy. He was a charter member of the American Family Therapy Association, and in 1983 received its “distinguished contributor” award. In 1990 he received a lifetime achievement award from the Philadelphia Psychiatric Society.