Professor Kris Dies at Age 59

Kathryn Beck Kris, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and psychiatrist at University Health Services (UHS), died of cancer at her Brookline home on December 13.

Kris, 59, pioneered the study of the emotional and developmental aspects of being a female medical student when women first enrolled in professional schools in large numbers. She also furthered changes in the mental health program at UHS.

She focused her scholarly research on the role of the school consultant, the problem of ambivalence in doctor-patient relationships, gender preference among medical students in selecting a psychiatrist and the stress experienced by medical students during their training in psychiatry.

Kris was known by friends and colleagues for her warmth and insight.

"She was a wonderful listener," said Julius Silberger, who worked with Kris at both HMS and UHS. "When we began our work at UHS, she recognized that women students preferred to talk to a woman. This insight was ground-breaking at the time. Women students were worried about their place in the profession.

"As a result of our work, the University began to split the psychiatry positions in the UHS between men and women," Silberger added. "For example, at the business school and the law school the psychiatrist had always been a man. Now these positions are shared between a man and a woman."