Myron L. Belfer, M.D.

Biography

Dr. Belfer, Professor of Psychiatry, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is Senior Associate in Psychiatry at the Boston Children’s Hospital and Co-Chair of the International Child Mental Health Program sponsored by Children’s Hospital Boston and the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine. He served as Senior Adviser for Child and Adolescent Mental Health in the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at the World Health Organization in Geneva from 2000 to 2005. He is immediate past President of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions and Co-chair of the International Relations Committee of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He trained in adult and child psychiatry at Harvard Medical School affiliated programs and has a Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He has served as a consultant to WHO in India and for the IOM in Indonesia. He is Director of the International Child Mental Health Scholars Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Belfer is a member of the International Programs Committee at HMS.

Courses Taught

CN 700.0 Physician in the Community: A service learning course in community medicine and international health

Research Interests

Belfer’s current research interests focus on the development of child and adolescent mental health policy worldwide and barriers to care. This work originated during his time as Senior Adviser at the World Health Organization and continues with NGO support and collaboration with WHO. The research looks at mental health policy development and barriers to mental health care among the most vulnerable children and adolescents. Recent collaboration with economists has led to the development of a model for calculating the costs of mental disorders in school age populations. Dr. Belfer’s clinical research focuses on the long-term follow-up of craniofacial patients at the Boston Children's Hospital who underwent single stage reconstructive surgery in the late 1970s and 80s. It looks at life trajectories, body image development and outcomes.

Current Projects

Development of a training program for primary care workers and Boy Scouts in post-tsunami Aceh, Indonesia. The training is based on child mental health training materials previously developed for use with primary workers in Africa and the Middle East. This module now includes extensive guidance for the local trainers. Recent work on defining the burden of childhood mental illness has led to a collaboration with economists to define and measure the costs of childhood mental illness. This work are now being published. Ongoing work with the plastic and reconstructive surgeons at Boston Children’s Hospital has led to a longitudinal study of the outcomes of patients undergoing craniofacial surgery. Dr. Belfer is the Director of the International Child Mental Health Scholars Program at Boston Children’s Hospital which brings medical and psychology trainees from countries around the world to gain a better understanding of child mental health practice. He is guest editor of a special issue of the International Review of Psychiatry devoted to global child mental health.

Select Publications

Original articles

  • Remschmidt H, Belfer M. Mental health care for children and adolescents worldwide: a review. World Psychiatry. 2005;4(3):147-153.
  • Belfer ML. Caring for children and adolescents in the aftermath of natural disasters. International Review of Psychiatry. 2006;18(6):523-528.
  • Belfer ML, Saxena S. WHO Child Atlas Project. Lancet. 2006;367:551-552.
  • Morris J, van Ommeren M, Belfer M, Saxena S, Saraceno B. Children and the Sphere standard on mental health ans social aspects of health. Disasters. 2007;31(1):71-90.
  • Belfer ML. Critical review of world policies for mental healthcare for children and adolescents. Current Opinion in Psychiatry. 2007;20:349-352.
    • Belfer ML. Child and adolescent mental disorders: the magnitude of the problem across the globe. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2008;49 (3):226-236.

Chapters

  • Belfer M. International Child Mental Health. In: Perspectives in Cross-cultural Psychiatry Georgiopoulos AM, Rosenbaum JF (eds). Philadelphia (PA): Lipppincott Williams & Wilkins;2005. p. 255-280.
  • Sharan P, Saxena S, Belfer ML. Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. In: Mental Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Need and Strategies for Intervention. Malhotra S (ed). Delhi, India: CBS Publishers & Distributors;2005. p. 283-297.
  • Belfer ML, Remschmidt H, Nurcombe B, Okasha A, Sartorius N. A Global Programme for Child and Adolescent Mental Health: A Challenge in the New Millenium. In: In: The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: An area of global neglect, Remschmidt H, Nurcombe B, Belfer ML, Okasha A, Sartorius N (Eds). Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd;2007. p. 1-12.
  • Myron L Belfer. Eine allgemeine Einschatzung von Versorgungssystemen und-einrichtungen. In: In: Entwicklungspsychiatrie. Herpertz-Dahlmann B, Resch F, Schulte-Markwort M, Warnke A (eds). Stuttgart: Shattauer;2007. p. 450-455.
  • Belfer ML, Eisenbruch M. International Child and Adolescent Mental Health Review. In: Lewis's Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: A Comprehensive Textbook. Andres Martin and Fred R Volkmar, (Eds). Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins;2007. p. 87-101.
  • Belfer ML, Nurcombe B. The Epidemiology and Burden of Child and Adolescent Mental Disorder. In: In: The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: An area of global neglect. Remschmidt H, Nurcombe B, Belfer ML, Okasha A, Sartorius N (Eds). Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd;2007. p. 27-42.
  • Whitman, CV, Belfer M, Oommen, M et al. The Role of International Organizations to Promote School-based Mental Health. In: Advances in School-based Mental Health Interventions Evans SW, Weist MD, Serpell ZN (eds). Kingston (NJ): Civic Research Institute;2007. p. 22-1 to 22-17.

Books, Monographs, and Textbooks

  • Belfer ML. Cultural and societal influences in child and adolescent psychiatry. In: Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders;2001.
  • Belfer ML. Through Children's Eyes. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization;2001.
  • Caring for Children with Mental Disorders: Setting WHO Directions. Geneva (Switzerland): World Health Organization;2003.
  • Remschmidt H, Belfer ML, Goodyer I. Facilitating Pathways. Berlin: Springer Medizin Verlag;2004.
  • Atlas: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Resources. In: Atlas: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Resources. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization;2005.
  • Remschmidt H, Nurcombe B, Belfer, ML, Sartorius N, Okasha A. The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: An area of global neglect. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd;2007.