Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institute for Medical Research Professor Dr. John M. Kane has been inducted into the prestigious Association of American Physicians.
Association of American Physicians’s members are competitively selected and are among the leading senior physician scientists from the United States, Canada and other countries.
Kane, recognized at a ceremony in Chicago during the organization’s annual meeting on April 21, was tabbed for his significant research contributions to the treatment of schizophrenia during his more than 30-year tenure with Northwell’s Zucker Hillside Hospital.
Kane’s initial research explored the effects of medication to treat schizophrenia and was integral to the research that led to the first Food and Drug Administration-approved medication for treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
His current work focuses on early intervention programs for patients with mental illness to help improve their outcomes and the severity of their condition.
Kane and his team developed and implemented the Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode Early Treatment Program (RAISE-ETP) – a specialty health care model to improve the trajectory of early-phase schizophrenia.
Clinicians using the RAISE program found that those patients who received coordinated specialty care, to optimize medication management and provide individual as well as family therapy and psychoeducation along with supported employment or education, made greater strides in improvement in quality of life and return to work or school over the first two years of treatment than patients who received usual care.
Due to the impact of his research and the importance of RAISE, Kane is a public advocate for early intervention programs and has spoken before members of congress about their benefits. His research no doubt influenced the 21st Century Cures Act, a 2016 law which includes a provision requiring states to use at least 10 percent of their mental health block grants on early intervention for psychosis.
“Ever since my first encounter with a schizophrenia patient during medical school I have wanted to better understand this condition and help patients maintain a normal course of life,” said Kane. “It is an honor to be recognized for my work and to join other leading researchers in AAP. I look forward to working toward the AAP mission of sharing ideas that advance our knowledge and contribute to the development of new and better treatments for medical conditions.”
The Association of American Physicians is a nonprofit, professional organization that was founded in 1885 to advance scientific and practical medicine. The membership is very selective – the organization has 1,700 active members and approximately 600 emeritus and honorary members.
Each year nominees to the AAP have the opportunity to share their scientific discoveries and contributions with their colleagues at the AAP’s annual meeting each year in Chicago.
