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Harry Prosen
Professor Harry Prosen
Prosen receiving an award from the Bonobo Species Preservation Society of the Milwaukee County Zoo
Born
Harry Prosen

(1930-06-27)June 27, 1930
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
DiedJune 21, 2021(2021-06-21) (aged 90)
Mequon, Wisconsin
Alma mater
SpouseYvonne Prosen
Children4
AwardsSee Selected awards and positions
Scientific career
FieldsPsychiatry
Institutions
Websitewww.harryprosen.com

Harry Prosen (27 June 1930 – 21 June 2021) was a North American psychiatrist. He was Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, USA; Professor of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba, Canada; and past president of the Canadian Psychiatric Association. He held leadership roles with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Psychiatric Association.[1][2]

Early life and education

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Canadian by birth, Prosen obtained his initial qualifications from the University of Manitoba in the 1950s, before spending part of his residency at the University of Chicago studying under notable researchers including Heinz Kohut.[3]

Career

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For more than 50 years, Prosen was involved in clinical and teaching psychiatry. He was Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Manitoba from 1975 to 1987;[4] and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin from 1987 to 2003.[1] He has been on numerous clinical, academic, institutional, government and editorial boards in both Canada and the United States; and been consultant to many hospitals, universities and associations. From 1978 to 1979, he was the President of the Canadian Psychiatric Association.[1]

Empathy and bonobos

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His earlier work focused on inter-generational issues in families, focusing particularly on empathy and empathic deficits. Much of this work originated in studying variations of the life-stages of humans, then developing an inter-generational approach to psychiatric treatment.[5] His 1972 paper The Remembered Mother and the Fantasized Mother[6] has been regarded as an influential work. Some of Prosen's early publications focused on non-verbal communication and also variations in facial features under different emotional circumstances. He developed a particular interest in adolescents and psychotherapy.

Prosen's interest in empathy prepared him well for his later work with primates, in particular bonobos, considered to be the most empathetic of all primates.[7] Since 1998, he was psychiatric consultant to the Bonobo Species Preservation Society, assisting primatologists working with one of the largest collections of captive bonobo primates in the world at the Milwaukee County Zoo, studying bonobo culture and development.[8] This work led to Prosen receiving numerous consultations from the United States and other parts of the world concerning psychological and other problems in primates.[9] The rehabilitation of an emotionally disturbed young bonobo named "Brian" generated substantial publicity, including a story in The Atlantic[10][11] as well as appearing in Laurel Braitman's 2014 book Animal Madness.[12]

Prosen also promoted mental health awareness.[13] Later in his career, after becoming aware of Australian biologist Jeremy Griffith’s thesis on the human condition in 2004, he became a noted advocate of Griffith's work, including writing the foreword to Griffith's 2014 book Is It to Be Terminal Alienation or Transformation for the Human Race? (republished in 2016 as Freedom: The End of the Human Condition).[14][15][16]

Personal life

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Prosen died in Mequon, Wisconsin on 21 June 2021.[16][2][17][13]

Selected awards and positions

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  • MD (University of Manitoba)
  • MSc (University of Manitoba)
  • Diploma in Psychiatry (University of Manitoba)
  • Fellow, The American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • Fellow and Committee Member, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
  • Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists
  • Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, England
  • Past President, Canadian Psychiatric Association
  • Distinguished Life Fellow and Committee Member, The American Psychiatric Association
  • America's Registry of Outstanding Professionals (2005–2006)
  • American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Selected bibliography

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  • Martin, R.; Prosen, H. (November 1972). "Mid-Life Crisis: Growth or Stagnation". Canadian Family Physician. 18 (11): 68–70. PMC 2370750. PMID 20468848.
  • Prosen, H. (April 1973). "Maternal Deprivation and later Sexual Adjustment". Human Sexuality. 7 (4, 58 and 214).
  • Prosen, H.; Toews, J.; Martin, R. (1981). Adolescent Psychiatry: The Life Cycle of the Family: Parental Midlife Crisis and Adolescent Rebellion. Vol. IX. Annals of the American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry. pp. 170–179.
  • Prosen, H.; Chan, C. (1991). Medical Examination Review, Psychiatry (9 ed.). New York: Elsevier Science Publishing Company, Inc.
  • Chan, C.; Prosen, H. (1995). Psychiatry: 700 Questions & Answers. Norwalk, Connecticut: Appleton & Lange.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Former CPA President honoured by U.S. medical college". Canadian Psychiatric Association. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Dr. Harry Prosen June 27, 1930 - June 21, 2021". Jewish Post and News. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  3. ^ "MD Profile Page". Arizona Medical Board. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  4. ^ Sisler, George. "History of the Department of Psychiatry". Department of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba. Archived from the original on 26 November 2005. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  5. ^ For example:
    • Martin, R.; Prosen, H. (November 1972). "Mid-Life Crisis: Growth or Stagnation". Canadian Family Physician. 18 (11): 68–70. PMC 2370750. PMID 20468848.
    • Prosen, H. (April 1973). "Maternal Deprivation and later Sexual Adjustment". Human Sexuality. 7 (4, 58 and 214).
    • Prosen, H.; Toews, J.; Martin, R. (1981). Adolescent Psychiatry: The Life Cycle of the Family: Parental Midlife Crisis and Adolescent Rebellion. Vol. IX. Annals of the American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry. pp. 170–179.
  6. ^ Prosen, H.; Martin, R.; Prosen, M. (December 1972). "The Remembered Mother and the Fantasized Mother". Archives of General Psychiatry. 27 (6): 791–798. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1972.01750300057009. PMID 4637896.
  7. ^ Sandin, Jo (2007). Bonobos: Encounters in Empathy. Milwaukee: Zoological Society of Milwaukee & The Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Inc. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-9794151-0-4.
  8. ^ Sandin, Jo (12 October 1999). "House calls: Psychiatrist helps zoo animals". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee. p. 1.
  9. ^ Farrar, Steve (28 July 2000). "A party animal with a social phobia". The Times Higher Education. London.
  10. ^ "Primate Week: Dr Harry Prosen, Bonobo Psychiatrist". WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  11. ^ Madrigal, Alexis C. (11 June 2014). "Brian the Mentally Ill Bonobo, and How He Healed". The Atlantic. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  12. ^ Braitman, Laurel (2014). Animal Madness. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 254–263. ISBN 9781451627008.
  13. ^ a b "PROSEN HARRY - Obituaries - Winnipeg Free Press Passages". passages.winnipegfreepress.com. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  14. ^ Clark, Gary (6 October 2014). "Biologist Jeremy Griffith examines where the human race is headed". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  15. ^ "The Psychological Rehabilitation of the Human Race | Harry Prosen". www.themontrealreview.com. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Harry Prosen". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  17. ^ Posner, Gerry. "Harry Prosen a psychiatric star wherever he goes". The Jewish Post & News. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
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