The Department of Psychiatry sadly shares the news of the death of Jerzy E. Henisz, MD, PhD, retired faculty in the department. Dr. Henisz died January 16, 2024, at the age of 86 in his home in Washington, Conn., after a long struggle with cancer.
Dr. Henisz was a member of the faculty from 1970 until his retirement from Yale in 2003. He joined the faculty one year after he escaped communist-led Poland in 1969 to resettle in the United States. For many years he was director of an innovative day program in an open unit on the fourth floor of the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC).
He believed that patients should not be confined and should be admitted to the hospital voluntarily, so his program had an open-door policy and enjoyed minimal recidivism. The lengths of stay were generally for two weeks which was considered of short duration.
Dr. Henisz taught a weekly seminar on inpatient psychiatry to residents who worked at CMHC. Outside of Yale, he maintained a private practice of psychiatry and psychotherapy based in Sharon and New Milford, Conn., and saw patients until his retirement in 2008.
He was the author of over 40 papers published in psychiatric journals and four books on his practice of inpatient, day hospital, and office psychiatry. His literary writings included short stories, one play, a novella, and children’s stories. He was an avid traveler, enjoyed the theater, and cherished summer days spent by the pool.
Dr. Henisz is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 62 years, Dr. Anna K. Henisz; his son Witold J. Henisz and his wife Marcia; and granddaughters Sophie and Katrine.