Dr. Naomi Breslau was a distinguished psychiatric epidemiologist whose career spanned several decades at leading academic institutions. She served as a faculty member in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Michigan State University from 2003 until her formal retirement in 2016, following significant appointments at the University of Michigan and Henry Ford Health Center in Detroit. Her academic journey began with a position in the Department of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University, where she initially focused on children and families with chronic disease. Throughout her career, Dr. Breslau established herself as a methodical researcher whose work bridged clinical psychiatry and population health sciences, ultimately becoming recognized as one of the most influential scholars in psychiatric epidemiology.
Dr. Breslau made seminal contributions to understanding the epidemiology of numerous health outcomes, with particular expertise in post-traumatic stress disorder, migraine disorders, and the health consequences of low birth weight. Her rigorous longitudinal studies fundamentally advanced the field's understanding of how psychological trauma translates into clinical disorders across diverse populations. Google Scholar records over 52,000 citations to her body of work, reflecting her extraordinary influence as she achieved the rare distinction of being designated a highly cited researcher, placing her among the top 1% of scholars in her field. Her methodological innovations in epidemiological study design and analysis set new standards for research on mental health outcomes and their determinants. The breadth of her research portfolio, which also encompassed sleep disorders, smoking effects, and IQ determinants, demonstrated her comprehensive approach to understanding the complex interplay of biological and psychological factors in population health.
Beyond her direct research contributions, Dr. Breslau's scholarly legacy continues to shape psychiatric epidemiology through the countless researchers she mentored and the methodological frameworks she established. Her work on the epidemiology of mental illness provided critical evidence that informed clinical practice guidelines and public health interventions worldwide. Colleagues remember her not only as a meticulous scientist but also as a generous mentor who fostered intellectual growth in her students and collaborators. Though she passed away on October 13, 2018, her contributions to understanding the complex interplay between psychological, biological, and social factors in health outcomes remain foundational to contemporary research in psychiatric epidemiology.
