Judith Rapoport Obituary: Life and Legacy

The medical and psychiatric communities are mourning the loss of Judith Livant Rapoport, a distinguished American psychiatrist and researcher who passed away on March 7, 2026, in Washington, D.C., at the age of 92.

Rapoport served as the chief of the Child Psychiatry Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Her career was defined by extensive research into the diagnosis and treatment of complex childhood psychiatric disorders.

Contributions to Child Psychiatry

Throughout her tenure at the NIMH, Rapoport focused her scientific efforts on several key areas of pediatric mental health. Her research group specialized in the clinical phenomenology, neurobiology, and treatment of childhood-onset schizophrenia.

she conducted significant work regarding the diagnosis and management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Her commitment to making complex psychiatric conditions understandable to the public led her to author the bestselling book, The Boy Who Couldn’t Stop Washing: The Experience and Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, published by Plume in 1989.

Academic Background and Training

Born Judith Helen Livant in Manhattan on July 12, 1933, Rapoport pursued a rigorous academic path in the sciences. She attended Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, where she graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1955.

She earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1959. Following her medical education, she completed specialized training at the National Children’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., and the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden.

Professional Recognition and Honors

Rapoport’s influence on the field of psychiatry was recognized through numerous prestigious appointments, and awards. She was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science and a Fellow of the Institute of Medicine.

Her professional accolades include:

• The Blanche F. Ittleson Award for Research in Child Psychiatry, received in 1987
• The Presidential Meritorious Executive Rank Award, received in 1991
• The American Psychiatric Association Award for Research, received in 1992
• The Ruane Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Research, received in 2002
• The Edward M. Scolnick Prize in Neuroscience, received in 2005

These honors reflect her impact on the neurobiological understanding of childhood disorders and her leadership within the National Institutes of Health.