Enzer Endowment

The Norbert B. Enzer, MD, Endowed Lectureship in Psychiatry

"From Science to Culture"

Together with friends, faculty, and colleagues, the Colleges of Human and Osteopathic Medicine are pleased to establish the Norbert B. Enzer, MD, Endowed Lectureship in Psychiatry in honor and recognition of Dr. Enzer’s innumerable contributions to Michigan State University and the psychiatric profession.

Throughout his professional career, Dr. Enzer achieved the highest standards of excellence within the field of psychiatry. He has served as a thoughtful counselor, advisor, mentor, teacher, and role model to hundreds of students, residents, and faculty. A gifted leader, he has been a powerful and influential advocate for residency programs, professional ethics standards, professional certification, and mental health care.

The lectureship focuses on areas of great personal interest to Dr. Enzer, particularly the link between the neurobiological and psychosocial aspects of psychiatric disorders. This focus, "from science to culture," is relatively unduplicated. Such an approach will enable scholars of national distinction from various disciplines to incorporate developmental psychiatry, clinical neuroscience, and cultural research into their lectures.

With a career spanning more than 40 years, Norbert B. Enzer, MD, is a nationally distinguished clinician, educator, and leader who has influenced the advancement of psychiatry throughout his career.

Dr. Enzer received his undergraduate degree from Yale University before attending medical school at McGill University Faculty of Medicine, where he graduated in 1956 with highest honors. He completed his formal training with a dual residency in pediatrics and psychiatry, and a fellowship in child psychiatry at Duke University.

Dr. Enzer came to Michigan State University in 1973 as a professor and the second chair of Psychiatry for the Colleges of Human and Osteopathic Medicine. In addition to assuming the challenging administrative responsibilities of a developing department, Dr. Enzer assumed a leadership role in the medical student program. He was a major participant in the development of the problem-based learning (PBL) and behavioral medicine components of the early preclinical curriculum. He also was one of the great pioneers in developing residency training opportunities in public sector psychiatry and recruitment strategies to help meet the shortage of psychiatrists in underserved areas.

With a specialty in child psychiatry, Dr. Enzer is a widely published author, a member of numerous professional societies and committees, a fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists, and a frequent visiting professor. He has served with leadership and prominence on virtually every child and adolescent psychiatry board, as well as on federal government review groups for child psychiatry and education. In recognition of his vast contributions to the field of psychiatry, Dr. Enzer has been a most deserving recipient of numerous awards including the 1997 Career Services Award from the Mental Health Association in Michigan in recognition of his professional lifetime achievements.