George Tarjan

George Tarjan (1912 – December 7, 1991) was a Hungarian-born American psychiatrist who specialized in child psychiatry and intellectual disability. He served as the 112th president of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) from 1983 to 1984 and directed the Division of Mental Retardation and Child Psychiatry at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. He was the first international medical graduate to serve as president of the APA.

Early life and education

Tarjan was born into a Jewish family in 1912 in Zsolna, Hungary (now Žilina, Slovakia). His father taught German and Hungarian literature, and his mother came from Vienna. His family moved to Miskolc after World War I.

Tarjan entered medical school at the University of Debrecen, but his education was interrupted by required military service. He later transferred to the University of Budapest, where he received his M.D. in 1935. He completed an internship at the Jewish Hospital in Budapest, where he decided to specialize in psychiatry.

Tarjan left Hungary in 1939.

In 1965 Tarjan joined the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute as director of its Division of Mental Retardation and Child Psychiatry. At UCLA he established research programs in developmental disabilities, secured federal and state funding, and trained physicians and researchers.

Public service and leadership

Tarjan served on the National Advisory Mental Health Council and was appointed by President John F. Kennedy as vice chairman of the President's Panel on Mental Retardation. He later served on Jimmy Carter's President's Commission on Mental Health and advised the Select Congressional Panel on Promotion of Child Health.

Personal life

Tarjan married Helen Blome in 1941. They had two sons, Robert Tarjan and James Tarjan.

Legacy

Tarjan expanded services for children with developmental disabilities and contributed to research on intellectual disability. He also influenced psychiatric education and public policy and encouraged the participation of international medical graduates in American psychiatry.

The American Psychiatric Association established the George Tarjan Award in 1992 to recognize physicians who have made significant contributions to the integration of international medical graduates into American psychiatry.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry presents the George Tarjan, M.D., Award for Contributions in Developmental Disabilities to a child and adolescent psychiatrist who has made significant contributions to the understanding or care of individuals with developmental disabilities.

Archival records and oral history interviews relating to Tarjan are preserved by the National Library of Medicine and the UCLA Library.

Awards and honors

Tarjan received numerous honors during his career, Award of Merit, Presidential Commission on Mental Retardation (1972) APA Distinguished Service Award (1973)