1 Boring Old Man

When John M (Mickey) Nardo, whom you may know better as the author of this 1 Boring Old Man blog, died on 19 February 2017, the loss was felt around the globe.

Mickey’s contributions to the field of psychiatry are renowned, from outstanding patient-centred care, to rigorous analysis of clinical trial data relating to psychiatric drugs, to incisive dissection of fake science. Anyone familiar with Mickey’s work will know of his passion to ensure that evidence is analysed and reported accurately, with particular care given to recommendations around potential benefits and harms.

Mickey was a great friend to us at the Critical and Ethical Mental Health research group (CEMH), part of the Robinson Research Institute at the University of Adelaide in Australia.  He helped lead our RIAT (Restoring Invisible and Abandoned Trials) reanalysis of the infamous Study 329 of paroxetine (Paxil) for adolescent depression. This work resulted in a prestigious publication in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Mickey is survived by his wife Sharon, his daughter Abby and son-in-law Christian, his ‘semi-adopted’ daughter Caitlin, and his sister Anna. His family support the creation of the John M. Nardo Postdoctoral Fellowship here at the University of Adelaide to best honour Mickey’s memory.

Will you support the John M Nardo Postdoctoral Fellowship?

Donate

Our goal is to establish the position for two years in the first instance. Through the Fellowship, CEMH will be able to provide valuable and accurate information about the benefits and harms of psychiatric medications for adolescents. This research will help health professionals make better decisions about how to respond to people with mental health problems. And crucially, it will help to improve the integrity of future research.

We have secured funding from the newly established RIAT Support Centre at the University of Maryland. Part of this grant, along with donations already received, will cover the Fellowship for the first year, when the Fellow’s main focus will be on restoring the influential and controversial Treatment of Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS).

We seek further funding to support the recruitment of a strong John M Nardo Fellow on a 2-year appointment. Please join us in donating. The University of Adelaide (UA) uses the British Schools and Universities Foundation to allow overseas donors to claim a tax deduction in their support of the University.

For American-based donors wishing to support the John M Nardo Postdoctoral Fellowship, they can either:

• Donate online: Please click on the donate by credit card button and under amount please enter University of Adelaide, John M. Nardo Postgraduate Fellowship
• Donate via donation form: Please click on the giving via the bsuf donor form and once downloaded form is completed (ensure you indicate John M. Nardo Postgraduate Fellowship) send to Ms Silvia Schwarz at 1505 Lexington Ave, Apartment 2C, NY 10029

We believe Mickey would find this a fitting tribute.

Warm regards,

Sharon and Abby Nardo, and Jon Jureidini (Child Psychiatrist, and Research Leader, CEMH)