Edward R. Shapiro, MD, Named Medical Director/CEO of the Austen Riggs Center

The Board of Trustees of the Austen Riggs Center has appointed Edward R. Shapiro, MD, as Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2025. Shapiro, who previously led the Center from 1991-2011, succeeds Eric M. Plakun, MD, who held the post from 2018 through 2024. Shapiro will serve as Medical Director/CEO while the Board of Trustees conducts a search for a new Medical Director/CEO.

"We selected Ed for this role based on his unique combination of expertise as a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst and his deep knowledge of Riggs, its staff, and the distinct treatment that the Center provides. Ed also has considerable experience advising CEOs, corporate directors, and other senior leaders," said Board Chair Lisa A. Raskin, PhD.

“As the pandemic recedes, we are seeing increasing numbers of people struggling with social isolation, psychological disturbance, and despair,” Shapiro said. "Riggs’ mission to help patients better understand themselves, deepen their relationships with others, and take up authority for their lives is a unique contribution to the world of psychiatric treatment. Our patients continually educate us about the internal and external pressures they are up against. My goal is to help us to deepen that mutual learning, further develop our treatment capacity, and advance Riggs’ mission,” he added.

Shapiro has dedicated his career to understanding and treating complex psychiatric conditions. A graduate of Yale College, Stanford University, and Harvard Medical School, he completed his psychiatry residency at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center and psychoanalytic training at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute.

Prior to coming to Riggs, Shapiro was a Clinical Associate in the Adult Psychiatry Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and directed adolescent and family treatment and psychosocial training at McLean Hospital in Boston. He is a recognized leader in the field of psychoanalytic psychotherapy and has been instrumental in bridging clinical practice with organizational and systemic thinking. Under his leadership at Riggs, he expanded the range of programs to meet the resource limitations and clinical needs of patients and families, founded the Erikson Institute for Education, Research, and Advocacy, helped to develop the International Dialogue Initiative, and expanded research efforts, solidifying the Center’s commitment to the integration of psychodynamic psychotherapy with psychosocial and medical care.

After stepping down from his leadership role, Shapiro continued to serve as a consultant, author, and teacher, influencing the fields of psychiatry and psychoanalysis both nationally and internationally. His recent book, Finding a Place to Stand, outlines a developmental understanding of the individual’s capacity to assume authority and voice, from family role through organizations to society. His return marks a continuation of his lifelong dedication to patient-centered care and the advancement of a psychoanalytic systems approach to mental health treatment.

The Board is in the initial stages of launching the search for a new Medical Director/CEO and anticipates meeting with candidates over the first part of 2025.

The Austen Riggs Center is an open psychiatric hospital, vital therapeutic community and institute for education, research, and advocacy in the field of mental health. Located in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts, Riggs has been serving adults since its founding in 1919. In addition to its residential program, Riggs also offers a fully online course of treatment for college students and other emerging adults in MA via its Online Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). Riggs’ mission is to promote resilience and self-direction in those with complex psychiatric problems—to help people take charge of their lives when other treatments have not worked. In addition to the clinical mission, the Erikson Institute for Education, Research, and Advocacy of the Austen Riggs Center studies individuals in their social contexts through research, training, education, and conducts outreach programs in the local community and beyond. For more information, visit www.AustenRiggs.org.

Media Contact: 
John Zollinger 
Director of Communications 
Austen Riggs Center 
413.931.5816 
john.zollinger@austenriggs.net