[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 133 (Friday, October 5, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1808-E1809]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE MEMORY OF DONALD J. COHEN, M.D.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 4, 2001

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great sadness, in a time 
of national sadness, to pay tribute to an extraordinary man. Dr. Donald 
Cohen was a friend of the New Haven community and friend of mine. He 
left an indelible mark on all he touched and a legacy that will touch 
many he never knew.
  For almost thirty years, he brought an unparalleled dedication to the 
Yale School of Medicine. Most recently he served as the Chairman of 
Child Psychiatry at the Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital and was the 
Sterling Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Psychology in 
the Yale School of Medicine. Donald has been the Director of the Yale 
Child Study Center, internationally renowned for its multi-disciplinary 
programs and advocacy for children and families, for nearly two 
decades. Under his leadership, the Center has grown to be one of the 
most respected research and development institutions in the world. 
Within the Center, Donald also founded the very successful Yale-New 
Haven Child Development Community Policing Program which helped teach 
law enforcement officers how to respond to children and families. The 
program has since been duplicated in communities throughout the 
country.
  In a letter I recently received from Donald, he wrote, ``the Child 
Study Center has been at the core of my intellectual and personal 
development. All of my work has been nourished by

[[Page E1809]]

relationships that are based here . . . the coming together of so many 
wonderful people who gathered around the visions of the future 
directions and potentials of our field.'' Donald dedicated his career 
to helping children with very special needs. He has been recognized 
nationally and internationally for his work in urban child development 
and the impact of violence and trauma on children and families. 
However, it was his clinical and research activities which focused on 
the developmental psychopathology of serious childhood neuropsychiatric 
disorders including pervasive developmental and tic disorders and 
autism that were closest to his heart. It was here that he truly wanted 
to make a difference.
  Over the last several years, I worked on so many projects with the 
Yale Child Study Center, and almost always worked closely with Donald. 
Since our first meeting, I was in awe of his tireless efforts and 
dedication--especially to his research on autism. It was only this past 
week that I received the news that he would be honored next month at 
the International Meeting for Autism Research with the Lifetime Award 
for Research in Autism. In his letter, he described this occasion as 
``particularly special . . . because they bring together what I have 
most cherished what I have most cherished about my life as a scholar 
and a clinician--the opportunity to be a part of family's lives and the 
lives of students and colleagues working together to improve our 
understanding of the most enduring questions of human development.''
  I stand today to pay tribute to a great man and to extend my deepest 
sympathies to his wife Phyllis, his four children and their families, 
and his mother Rose. A tireless advocate and a dear friend, Dr. Donald 
Cohen was an inspiring leader and his legacy will forever live in the 
hearts of the many lives he has touched.

                          ____________________