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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Dr.
4Sheldon I. Miller of Skokie, a founder of and early leader in
5the field of addiction psychiatry, who passed away on October
62, 2011; and
 
7    WHEREAS, He was born on June 29, 1938, to Edward A. and
8Evelyn (née Kleinman) Miller in Cleveland, Ohio; he graduated
9from Oberlin College in 1960 and Tufts Medical School in 1964,
10and completed his residency in psychiatry at the University
11Hospitals in Cleveland; and
 
12    WHEREAS, He spent 2 years with the Public Health Service on
13the Navajo Indian Reservation, addressing the psychiatric
14needs of that population; during that time, he became concerned
15with the Navajos' struggles with alcoholism and depression;
16this interest defined the future course of his research; he
17continued to focus on this subject, conducting some of the
18first studies leading to the definition of fetal alcohol
19syndrome and of alcoholism as a disease; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Dr. Miller was Professor Emeritus and former chair
21(1991-2002) of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral
22Sciences at Northwestern University; he was also the author of

 

 

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1more than 100 publications, including major textbooks on
2addiction; Dr. Miller was a founding member of the American
3Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, a member of the Group for the
4Advancement of Psychiatry, and a Distinguished Fellow of the
5American Psychiatric Association; and
 
6    WHEREAS, He was instrumental in achieving the recognition
7of the subspecialty of addiction psychiatry by the American
8Board of Psychiatry and Neurology; Dr. Miller was deeply
9involved in psychiatric education throughout his career; from
101996 to 1999, he served as the chair of the ACGME Psychiatry
11Residency Review Committee, which establishes policy and
12curricula for residency training programs across the United
13States; he was also a committed advocate for the mentally ill,
14tirelessly advocating on their behalf at both the state and
15national legislative levels; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Dr. Miller was a masterful teacher, generously
17giving of his time to educate people about the field of
18psychiatry and addiction and to advocate for better mental
19health policy and more humane treatment of mental health care
20patients; this education and advocacy frequently resulted in
21better policy outcomes in the State of Illinois and helped many
22lead more productive and healthier lives; and
 
23    WHEREAS, Dr. Sheldon Miller is survived by his wife of 50

 

 

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1years, Sarah Miller (née Johnston); his daughter, Lynne; his
2son-in-law, Mark Jones; his grandchildren, Lily, Ian, and Nell;
3and his son, David W. Miller and his partner, Lee Griesbach;
4therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Dr.
8Sheldon Miller; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
10presented to the family of Dr. Sheldon Miller as a symbol of
11our sincere sympathy.