Keck School of Medicine names new chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Physician-Scientist Steven Siegel brings over 20 years of research, teaching and clinical experience to the role
Keck School of Medicine of USC has named Steven Siegel, MD, PhD, the new chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. A noted physician and researcher with an expertise in schizophrenia and psychosis, Siegel will not only oversee operations for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, but also enhance patient care throughout the medical enterprise through a robust curriculum and the application of multi-disciplinary translational research.
“The Keck School of Medicine provides the ideal combination of a world-class university working in concert with a highly innovative public health county agency, LAC+USC,” Siegel said. “I am looking forward to working with the wealth of outstanding faculty members and trainees at USC to improve the delivery of clinical care for the people of Los Angeles and beyond.”
In his new role, Siegel will manage the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences faculty, establishing and working toward departmental goals that contribute to the success of the medical enterprise. He will also advocate for the department’s clinical and academic needs.
“Steven has made significant contributions to his field that affect not only how others conduct their research, but also in how they care for patients,” said Rohit Varma, MD, MPH, interim dean of the Keck School of Medicine and director of the USC Roski Eye Institute. “We are lucky to have such a strong leader at the helm of our psychiatry department, and I have the utmost confidence in his ability to help the Keck School develop into a world-class academic medical center.”
Just before joining Keck School of Medicine, Siegel spent 20 years at the University of Pennsylvania, where he held a number of faculty, hospital and administrative appointments. Most recently, he was a professor of psychiatry, director of the Translational Neuroscience Program and associate director of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards Educational Programs and Masters in Translational Research at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. His passion for technology earned him a secondary appointment as a professor of bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering Arts and Sciences. Additionally, his laboratory has established new methods for the treatment of schizophrenia by inventing long acting biodegradable implants, now under development for clinical application.
Siegel has published more than 130 manuscripts spanning topics related to drug abuse, basic research in animal models of schizophrenia and autism, as well as clinical aspects of schizophrenia. He is on the editorial board of several leading journals related to psychiatry and neurobiology.
“Keck Medicine of USC understands that treatment includes not only the physical, but also the mental and emotional well-being of a patient,” said Tom Jackiewicz, MPH, senior vice president and CEO of Keck Medicine of USC. “We are excited to elevate our standards of patient care under Steven’s guidance, which is founded upon decades of dedication to cutting-edge research and therapy.”
Siegel holds an MD and PhD in Neurobiology from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where he also completed his training and postdoctoral fellowships. He completed his residency in Psychiatry and a postdoctoral fellowship in Neuropsychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He has received numerous awards for his research, teaching and clinical care, including the National Association for mental Illness Exemplary Psychiatrist Award, the Leonard Berwick Memorial Teaching Award for translational research, and the the Martin P. Szuba Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching and Research by the Department of Psychiatry at Penn.