Leah Dickstein

Leah Joan Dickstein (nee Chernoble; August 17, 1934 – December 16, 2019) was an American psychiatrist. She was the president of the American Medical Women's Association, Vice President of the American Psychiatric Association, and Founder and President of the Association of Women Psychiatrists.

Early life and education Dickstein was born on August 17, 1934, in Brooklyn, New York, to Russian-Jewish parents William David Chernoble and Sadye Rebecca Engelman. Her father was a printing press operator and her mother was a school teacher. Growing up she wished to become a psychiatrist after helping her mother through depression, but was discouraged from considering medical school by her advisor who did not believe she was scientifically gifted. She graduated from Erasmus Hall High School at the age of 16 and enrolled at Brooklyn College for her Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Education degree. Following this, she married medical-student Herbert Dickstein in 1955 and travelled with him to medical school in Ghent, Belgium due to restrictive quotas for Jewish people. Despite not speaking the language, she passed the psychiatry course for no credit.

Upon returning to the Brooklyn, Dickstein accepted a position as a school teacher in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. She attended the Institute for her entire degree and graduated in 1970 as one of only six women in a class of over 120.

Dickstein was appointed associate dean for Faculty and Student Advocacy from 1989 through 2002 when she retired from full-time employment. Dickstein was recognized for her efforts in the medical field with the election as president of the American Medical Women's Association in 1992. It was during that time that the Leah J. Dickstein, M.D., Award was established by the Association of Women Psychiatrists, to reward female students who embody the features that Dickstein wanted to cultivate. During her tenure at Louisville, Dickstein was named to numerous organizations including vice president of the American Psychiatric Association, president of the Association of Women Psychiatrists, and president of the Kentucky Psychiatric Association. In 1998, Dickstein was one of five women honored by the Center for Women and Families as a "Woman of Distinction".