Paul H. Wender, one of the leading investigators in exploring ADHD, passed away on July 16, 2016.

Paul’s interest in ADHD dates back to his work at the National Institute of Mental Health starting in the 1960s in clinics outside Washington, DC. Remarkably, at the same time, he was also conducting landmark research in the genetics of schizophrenia (Rosenthal et al. 1971) that was challenging the currently held theories as to the etiology of that disorder.

In the early 1970s Paul was invited to the University of Utah Medical School Department of Psychiatry to continue his research. He was drawn to Utah’s dedication to a more scientific approach to the field of psychiatry as well its remarkable mountains and deserts. He later honored his new home by including its name in several very important creations: the “Utah Criteria” for the diagnosis of ADHD in adults and the Wender Utah Rating Scale.

He published the first medical review of ADHD, Minimal Brain Dysfunction in Children, in 1971. Starting soon afterward, he conducted with his coworkers the first medication trial dealing with the treatment of ADHD in adults, which was published in 1976 (Wood et al. 1976). This work continued with several confirmatory studies, investigations exploring alternative ADHD treatments, development of several scales to assess ADHD, and finally neurochemical studies.

During this time Paul treated many patients and supervised numerous trainees at Utah. There were additional publications of his innovative work in the area of schizophrenia. In 1995 Paul published the first scientific monograph addressing adult ADHD, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults.

Also, in the 1990s Paul collaborated with Donald Klein at Columbia University to form the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology. The first ASCP meeting was held at the May 1992 American Psychiatric Association meeting. Fifty well-known psychopharmacologists participated in a historic discussion concerning just what such a group should be. This has proven a remarkably successful effort, and the Society continues to honor Paul each year when it presents the Paul Wender Award for the outstanding paper in its journal from the past year.

During the 1990s the international scientific community recognized Paul Wender as an outstanding researcher who had contributed in a substantial way to the new concept of ADHD as a lifelong disorder. He was regarded as the “The Dean of ADHD.” As a consequence he became an important member of international networks dealing with ADHD. He has been invited to different Congresses in Europe and has been an appreciated discussion partner. The cornerstone Wender Utah Rating Scale has been translated into the majority of languages of the Western countries. The Wender-Reimherr Interview and the Utah Criteria for the Diagnosis of ADHD in Adults were translated into German and published in 2004. His classical book “ADHD in Children, Adolescents and Adults” was also translated into German and published in 2002.

Paul’s visibility in scientific work continued into the last years of his life, and in 2015 the World Federation of ADHD at its biannual meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, presented him with the 2015 Hoffmann Medal, a lifetime achievement award named for Heinrich Hoffmann, the author of the “Struwwelpeter,” which was written in 1846 and contained possibly the first description of a condition similar to ADHD.

He remained very involved with data analysis and publications. In fact, 24 hours before his death he sent emails providing ideas for a publication that he was preparing in association with colleagues in North America and Europe.

While not always one to suffer fools gladly, he was a scientist who could see the boundaries of a problem and envision the next steps in its solution as well as perceiving and anticipating changes in the field. His many students, colleagues, and friends from all parts of the world will miss his keen mind and ready wit.

In addition to his wife, Dr. Frances Burger, Paul leaves three daughters, Jocelyn Wender-Shubow of Jamaica Plain, Leslie Evangelista of Plainville, and Melissa of Dorchester, all in Massachusetts; a stepson, James Murdock, of Providence, Rhode Island; a brother, Ira, of New York City; and two grandchildren.