Mace Beckson

Health Sciences Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences

Biography

A native of New York City, Dr. Beckson graduated magna cum laude in biochemical sciences from Harvard College before completing his medical studies at Cornell University Medical College, where he was awarded the Oskar Diethelm Prize for Excellence in Psychiatry. Dr. Beckson completed his psychiatry residency and chief residency (with Lewis Baxter, MD) at UCLA, after which he completed the neurobehavior fellowship (with D. Frank Benson, MD and Jeffrey Cummings, MD) in the UCLA department of neurology. Dr. Beckson spent the next six years as a research psychiatrist in the NIDA/VA Medication Development Research Center in West Los Angeles (with Walter Ling, MD, George Bartzokis, MD, Richard Rawson, PhD, Thomas Newton, MD, and Jeffrey Wilkins, MD), while running substance abuse treatment programs at the VA Medical Center. After a patient assault on a VA psychiatrist, Dr. Beckson was asked by the chief of metal health to join the psychiatric intensive care unit, which he subsequently ran for nearly 19 years, developing as successful forensic and intensive care psychiatry residency teaching program that produced 20 chief residents, 8 forensic psychiatry fellows, numerous members of various academic departments, and one president of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. The clinical program specialties included involuntary hospitalization and treatment, suicide and violence risk assessment and management, and treatment of acute substance-induced and primary psychiatric disorders. Dr. Beckson also taught as a faculty member of the UCLA forensic psychiatry fellowship. Dr. Beckson has been recognized on several occasions for his work in suicide prevention and patient safety at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. His expert consultation has been sought by the California Medical Board, the State Bar of California, Ventura County Sheriff, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Jail Mental Health Services, and other municipal and state entities. Dr. Beckson has testified as an expert witness in federal and state courts.

Beckson Mace, Tucker Douglas   Commentary: Craving diagnostic validity in DSM-5 Substance Use Disorders The journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 2014; 42(4): 453-8.

Thompson Christopher R, Del-Pan Nadia, Beckson Mace, Weinstock Robert   Adolescent substance use disorders and psychiatrists: competent assessment and treatment? The American journal on addictions / American Academy of Psychiatrists in Alcoholism and Addictions, 2011; 17(3): 245-6.

Bullock Clayton M, Beckson Mace   Male victims of sexual assault: phenomenology, psychology, physiology The journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 2011; 39(2): 197-205.

Vari Gabor, Beckson Mace   Escitalopram-associated serotonin toxicity Journal of clinical psychopharmacology, 2007; 27(2): 229-30.

Bartzokis George, Beckson Mace, Lu Po H, Edwards Nancy, Rapoport Ruth, Bridge Peter, Mintz Jim   Cortical gray matter volumes are associated with subjective responses to cocaine infusion The American journal on addictions / American Academy of Psychiatrists in Alcoholism and Addictions, 2006; 13(1): 64-73.

Simpson Joseph R, Thompson Christopher R, Beckson Mace   Impact of orally disintegrating olanzapine on use of intramuscular antipsychotics, seclusion, and restraint in an acute inpatient psychiatric setting Journal of clinical psychopharmacology, 2006; 26(3): 333-5.

Venneman Sandy, Leuchter Andrew, Bartzokis George, Beckson Mace, Simon Sara L, Schaefer Melodie, Rawson Richard, Newton Tom, Cook Ian A, Uijtdehaage Sebastian, Ling Walter   Variation in neurophysiological function and evidence of quantitative electroencephalogram discordance: predicting cocaine-dependent treatment attrition The Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences, 2006; 18(2): 208-16.

Thompson Christopher R, Beckson Mace   A case of factitious homicidal ideation The journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 2004; 32(3): 277-81.

Bartzokis George, Beckson Mace, Lu Po H, Edwards Nancy, Bridge Peter, Mintz Jim   Brain maturation may be arrested in chronic cocaine addicts Biological psychiatry, 2002; 51(8): 605-11.