James F. Leckman

James F. Leckman

ECPC: 
Executive Cmte Member
Title: 
Neison Harris Professor in the Child Study Center and Professor of Pediatrics
Affiliation: 
ECPC Research Chair (Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine)
Curriculum Vitae

James F. Leckman, M.D., Ph.D., James F. Leckman, M.D. is the Neison Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Psychiatry, Psychology and Pediatrics at Yale. He serves as the Director of Research for the Yale Child Study Center. Dr. Leckman is a well-known child psychiatrist and patient-oriented clinical investigator. His peers have regularly selected him as one of the Best Doctors in America. Dr. Leckman is the author or co-author of over 540 original articles published in peer-reviewed journals, seven books, and 160 book chapters. In 2002, he was identified by American Society for Information, Science and Technology as a “Highly Cited Researcher” - one of the world’s most cited authors in Psychology and Psychiatry – in the top half of the top one percent of all publishing researchers.

In 1999, he edited with Dr. Donald J. Cohen, Tourette’s Syndrome: Tics, Obsessions, Compulsions - Developmental Psychopathology and Clinical Care, published by John Wiley & Sons. Given its success, this volume was re-issued in paper back in the fall of 2001. Dr. Leckman edited (along with Dr. Davide Martino) a 30-chapter volume, entitled, Tourette Syndrome published in 2014 by Oxford University Press. Most recently, he (along with his colleagues in the UK and the US) edited the7th edition of Rutter’s Child and Adolescent Psychiatry published in 2025.
 

Clinical expertise

Dr. Leckman is widely recognized as a committed clinician with special skills in the evaluation and treatment of Tourette’s syndrome (TS) and early onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Since the early 1980s, he has seen and evaluated hundreds of individuals with these conditions. Physicians, patients and families from across the country and around the world regularly seek his advice. He is frequently invited to address professional, parent and advocacy groups at local, regional, and national meetings as well as international meetings. For example, during the past eight years, he has presented to professional and/or family groups in London, Rotterdam, Berlin, Rome, Johannesburg, Istanbul, Beirut, Nablus, Sharm El Sheikh, Tehran, Tel Aviv, Taipei, Tokyo, Mexico City, Lima, and Sao Paulo. He is also a fully trained psychoanalyst. However, he has recently stepped back from his clinical practice.
 

Interdisciplinary research program on TS & OCD

One of Dr. Leckman’s main research interests has been the interaction of genes and environment in the pathogenesis of TS and OCD. His research on these disorders is well known and multifaceted from phenomenology and natural history, to neurobiology (neuroimaging, neuroendocrinology, neuroimmunology) to genetics, to risk factor research (perinatal factors are important), to treatment studies.
 

Formative Childhood and Peace Building

Most recently, in partnership with colleagues at UNICEF and the Mother-Child Education Foundation based in Turkey, Dr. Leckman has begun to explore the question whether strengthening families and enhancing child development is a path to peace and violence prevention. Related efforts include the Early Childhood Peace Consortium that was launched (September 2013) in New York in at the United Nations and the 15th Ernst Strüngmann Forum that took place in Frankfurt, Germany in October 2013. The deliberations of 40 international experts from a broad range of scientific disciplines are summarized in volume entitled, Formative Childhoods: The Transformative Power of Children and Families, published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press in 2014. More information is available at: https://ecdpeace.org/work-content/revolutionary-volume-pathways-peace-transformative-power-children-families.
 

Medical Research Interests

Adolescent Psychiatry; Child Psychiatry; Global Health; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Psychiatry; Tic Disorders; Tourette Syndrome
 

Books and Chapters:

  1. Leckman JF, Panter-Brick C, Salah R (eds). Pathways to Peace: The Transformative Power of Children and Families, 15, Julia Lupp, series editor. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2014. 
  2. Peace Is a Lifelong Process: The Importance of Partnerships. Leckman JF, Panter-Brick C, Salah R. In: Leckman JF, Panter-Brick C, Salah R (eds): Pathways to Peace: The Transformative Power of Children and Families, Boston: MIT Press, pp. 3-17, 2014. 
  3. Ecology of Peace. Britto PR, Gordon I, Hodges W, Sunar D, Kagitcibbasi C, Leckman JF. In: Leckman JF, Panter-Brick C, Salah R (eds): Pathways to Peace: The Transformative Power of Children and Families, Boston: MIT Press, pp. 27-39, 2014. 
  4. Human biological development and peace: Genes, brains, safety and justice. Morgan B, Sunar D, Carter CS, Leckman JF, Fry DP, Keverne EB, Kolassa I-T, Kumsta R, Olds D. In: Leckman JF, Panter-Brick C, Salah R (eds): Pathways to Peace: The Transformative Power of Children and Families, Boston: MIT Press, pp. 95-127, 2014. 
  5. Mental health and early child development. Leckman JF, do Rosario MC, Ponguta LA.  In: Haddad AE (ed.) São Paulo Carinhosa, O que Grandes Cidadese Politicas Intersetoriais Podem Fazer pela Primeira Infância. Sao Paulo, SP, Secretaria Municipal de Cultura, pp. 26-41, 2016.

Special Issues and Editorials for Scientific Journals:

  1. Special issue: Towards a More Peaceful World: The Promise of Early Child Development Programs. Leckman JF, Britto PR (eds). New Directions Child Adolesc Development, 2018. 
  2. What are the Transgenerational Consequences of Maternal Childhood Adversity and Maternal Stress during Pregnancy? Leckman JF. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2017 Nov;56(11):914-915
  3. Violence, health, and South-North collaboration: Interdisciplinary research in light of the 2030 Agenda. Lee BX, Leckman JF, Khoshnood K. Soc Sci Med. 2015 Dec;146:236-42.
  4. Editorial Commentary: Resilience in child development–interconnected pathways to wellbeing. Panter-Brick C, Leckman JF. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2013 Apr;54(4):333-6.
  5. Special issue: Violence and health: Current perspectives from the WHO Violence Prevention Alliance. Lee BX, Leckman JF, Mbwambo JKK (eds). Aggress Violent Behav, 2014; 19:609–615. 
  6. Variations in maternal behavior–oxytocin and reward pathways–peripheral measures matter?! Leckman JF. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2011 Dec;36(13):2587-8
  7. Nurturing resilient children. Leckman JF, Mayes LC. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2007 Mar-Apr;48(3-4):221-3.

Articles on Parenting and/or Early Child Development:

  1. Nurturing care: promoting early childhood development. Britto PR, Lye SJ, Proulx K, Yousafzai AK, Matthews SG, Vaivada T, Perez-Escamilla R, Rao N, Ip P, Fernald LCH, MacMillan H, Hanson M, Wachs TD, Yao H, Yoshikawa H, Cerezo A, Leckman JF, Bhutta ZA; Early Childhood Development Interventions Review Group, for the Lancet Early Childhood Development Series Steering Committee. Lancet. 2017 Jan 7;389(10064):91-102
  2. A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Perceived Infant Outcomes at 18-24 Months: Neural and Psychological Correlates of Parental Thoughts and Actions Assessed during the First Month Postpartum. Kim P, Rigo P, Leckman JF, Mayes LC, Cole PM, Feldman R, Swain JE. Front Psychol. 2015 Nov 20;6:1772.
  3. Practitioner review: Engaging fathers–recommendations for a game change in parenting interventions based on a systematic review of the global evidence. Panter-Brick C, Burgess A, Eggerman M, McAllister F, Pruett K, Leckman JF. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2014 Nov;55(11):1187-212.
  4. Neural plasticity in fathers of human infants. Kim P, Rigo P, Mayes LC, Feldman R, Leckman JF, Swain JE. Soc Neurosci. 2014;9(5):522-35.
  5. Oxytocin and social motivation. Gordon I, Martin C, Feldman R, Leckman JF. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2011 Oct;1(4):471-93.
  6. Breastfeeding, brain activation to own infant cry, and maternal sensitivity. Kim P, Feldman R, Mayes LC, Eicher V, Thompson N, Leckman JF, Swain JE. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2011 Aug;52(8):907-15.
  7. The plasticity of human maternal brain: longitudinal changes in brain anatomy during the early postpartum period. Kim P, Leckman JF, Mayes LC, Feldman R, Wang X, Swain JE. Behav Neurosci. 2010 Oct;124(5):695-700
  8. Prolactin, Oxytocin, and the development of paternal behavior across the first six months of fatherhood. Gordon I, Zagoory-Sharon O, Leckman JF, Feldman R. Horm Behav. 2010 Aug;58(3):513-8.
  9. Oxytocin and the development of parenting in humans. Gordon I, Zagoory-Sharon O, Leckman JF, Feldman R. Biol Psychiatry. 2010 Aug 15;68(4):377-82.
  10. Maternal brain response to own baby-cry is affected by cesarean section delivery. Swain JE, Tasgin E, Mayes LC, Feldman R, Constable RT, Leckman JF. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2008 Oct;49(10):1042-52.
  11. Perceived quality of maternal care in childhood and structure and function of mothers’ brain. Kim P, Leckman JF, Mayes LC, Newman MA, Feldman R, Swain JE. Dev Sci. 2010 Jul;13(4):662-73.
  12. Swain JE, Mayes LC, Leckman JF: Parent-Infant Attachment Systems Neural Circuits, Genes, and Early-Life Programming. In: Reflecting on the Future of Psychoanalysis: Mentalization, Internalization and Representation Eds. Jurist EJ, Slade A and Bergner S. Karnac Press New York, 2009.
  13. Parental representations and subclinical changes in postpartum mood. Mayes LC, Leckman JF. Infant Ment Health J. 2007 May;28(3):281-295.
  14. Primary parental preoccupation: circuits, genes, and the crucial role of the environment. Leckman JF, Feldman R, Swain JE, Eicher V, Thompson N, Mayes LC. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2004 Jul;111(7):753-71. Epub 2004 Feb 4. Review.
  15. Early parental preoccupations and behaviors and their possible relationship to the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Leckman JF, Mayes LC, Feldman R, Evans DW, King RA, Cohen DJ. Acta Psychiatr Scand Suppl. 1999;396:1-26.
  16. Preoccupations and behaviors associated with romantic and parental love. Perspectives on the origin of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Leckman JF, Mayes LC. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 1999 Jul;8(3):635-65. Review.

Relevant Awards and Presentations:

  1. Raune Prize, for an outstanding scientist carrying out research on the causes, pathophysiology, treatment, or prevention of severe child psychiatric illness. National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders (NARSAD), 2007
  2. John F. Kenward Memorial Lecturer, University of Chicago, November 2010
  3. Visiting Professor, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, 2011-
  4. Lionel Hersov Visiting Lecturer in Glasgow, Scotland and Dublin, Ireland, Association of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, UK, 2012
  5. Visiting Professor, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark, 2012-2016
  6. State-of-the-Art Lecturer, International Congress, International Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions, Paris, July 2012
  7. Visiting Professor, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany, 2012
  8. Plenary Speaker, 17th meeting of the Israel Society for Biological Psychiatry, Kibbutz HaGoshrim, March 2013
  9. Plenary Speaker, 24th meeting of the American Neuropsychiatric Association, Boston, MA, April 2013
  10. Plenary Speaker, 10th Annual Research Training Seminar – Fondazione Child, Bocca di Magra, Italy, June 2013
  11. Plenary Speaker, Launch of the Early Childhood Peace Consortium, United Nations, New York, NY September 2013
  12. Co-chair of the 15th Ernst Strüngmann Forum, “Pathways to Peace: The Transformative Power of Children and Families,” Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Frankfurt, Germany, October 2013
  13. Keynote address, M8 Alliance World Health Summit Regional Meeting – Latin America, São Paulo, Brazil. Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, April 2014
  14. Organizer and speaker at the week-long Yale Global Health Leadership Institute, Forums for Change 2014, Brazil: Investing early in healthy children, New Haven, August 2014.
  15. Featured speaker at Luncheon UN High-level Forum on The Culture of Peace, organized by Yale University, the Early Childhood Peace Consortium, and UNICEF, New York, NY, September, 2014
  16. Keynote address, Simpósio International de Desenvolvimento da Primeira Infancia, São Paulo, Brazil, November 2014
  17. Plenary Speaker, Founding Forum of the Arab Network for Early Childhood, Amman, Jordan, December 2014
  18. Speaker at the UN Committee on the Family, New York, NY, March 2015
  19. Agnes Purcell McGavin Award for a Distinguished Career Achievement in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Psychiatric Association, Toronto, Canada, May 2015
  20. Plenary Speaker, Global symposium – Growing up in Conflict: the impact of children’s mental health and psychosocial well –being, organized by UNICEF and the government of the Netherlands, The Hague, Netherlands, May 2015
  21. Keynote address, Early Childhood Peace Consortium, organized by Mother and Child Education Foundation (AÇEV), Yale University and UNICEF Istanbul, Turkey, June 2015
  22. Paulina F. Kernberg Memorial Lecture, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, November 2015
  23. Invited Speaker by Executive Director of UNICEF to address the Country Representatives of Group of Friends at UNICEF Headquarters, New York, NY, April 2016
  24. Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, Meet the Scientist Webinar Series, Primary Prevention in Child Psychiatry: The Transformative Power of Children and Families, May 2016 https://bbrfoundation.org/meet-the-scientist-may-2016
  25. Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association, Atlanta, Georgia, May 2016
  26. Invited Panelist, High–Level Meeting Hosted by the Swedish and Italian Missions to the UN and The World Childhood Foundation USA on Solutions to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for Children, New York, NY, September 2016
  27. Keynote address, Associação Brasileira de Psiquiatria (Brazilian Association of Psychiatry) annual meeting, São Paulo, Brazil, November 2016
  28. Speaker at the International Peace Research Association. Freetown, Sierra Leone, December, 2016.
  29. Grand rounds presentation on Primary Prevention in Child Psychiatry: The Transformative Power of Children and Families at Stanford University, March 2017.
  30. Plenary speaker at the Global Reporting Institute on Early Childhood Experience and the Developing Brain, Columbia University School of Journalism, New York, NY, March 2016.
  31. Host and speaker at the Yale UNICEF Conference on Refugee Children– organized by the Yale undergraduates who are members of the Yale UNICEF Club, New Haven, CT, April, 2017.
  32. Plenary speaker at a symposium on Early Childhood Development Programmes for Peace Building in Conflict-Affected Countries and Region, Belfast Northern Ireland, UK, May 2016.
  33. The Women’s Board Lecture in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Pathways to Peace and Violence Prevention: The Transformative Power of Children and Families, Rush University, Chicago, November, 2017 
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