With great sadness, we share news of the sudden and unexpected death of Patrick D. Skosnik, PhD, at the age of 50 on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, in Boston. At the time of his untimely passing, he was an adjunct Associate Professor in the Yale Department of Psychiatry having very recently taken a position as a tenured Professor, Northeastern University, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Schools of Nursing & Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences where he had opened a new chapter in his academic life.
Patrick earned a PhD in Neuroscience at Northwestern University working on a then novel hypothesis that dysregulation of the brain’s endogenous cannabinoid system contributed to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia under the mentorship of Sohee Park. She recalls that while on paper, she was Patrick’s doctoral advisor “in truth, I learned just as much from Patrick during our collaborative journey.” She added she invited Patrick to give the first clinical psychology seminar of 2024 at Vanderbilt – “just as he had done almost three decades ago in my office, he sketched out an exciting new direction in psychedelics for the audience and promised to return and update us on his findings next year.”
He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University, under the mentorship of Brian O’Donnell. He joined Yale in 2009 as an Associate Research Scientist working in the Schizophrenia Neuropharmacology Research Group at Yale (SNRGY) and was promoted to Assistant Professor in 2013 and then to Associate Professor in 2018. During this time, he directed the Psychophysiology Laboratory, where he studied the acute and chronic effects of cannabinoids in humans. He applied a number of methodologies to study the effects of drugs on the brain including electroencephalography (EEG), polysomnography (PSG), eyeblink conditioning (EBC), actigraphy, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET).
Patrick spent most of his career studying the acute and chronic effects of cannabis, delta-9-tetrahyrdocanabinol (THC) and cannabidiol on measures of cognition, functional connectivity, neural oscillations, and brain cannabinoid receptor availability. He showed that there are rapid changes in cannabinoid 1 receptor availability in cannabis-dependent who abstain from cannabis. He also showed that cannabis use is associated with schizotypy and attentional disinhibition. More recently, he studied the mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effect of novel treatments for mood disorders, namely psilocybin and ketamine using EEG.
He was the recipient of two NARSAD Young Investigator Awards and later a NARSAD Independent Investigator Award. His work was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), VA Research & Development, and the Charles A. Dana Foundation.
Patrick was a renaissance man with many interests and talents outside of neuroscience. He was versed in literature and philosophy and excelled at drawing and painting. Some of his artwork has been featured on the covers of Biological Psychiatry, Neuropsychopharmacology, and Clinical Neurophysiology. He was also an accomplished musician and disc jockey, working under the pseudonym Pat Foosheen. He composed house and electronic music. He began working as disc jockey and producing music in 1997. He collaborated with DJ Yoshi, Alvin Carr, Lester Fitzpatrick, and Robert Armani. He released music on a range of labels including Withinrecords, Deepsite, Deepwit, DeepStitched, Kommunity, Lisztomania, and UM Records. His music can be heard here: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/pat-foosheen/58495721 or here: https://soundcloud.com/pat-foosheen
Patrick had an infectious sense of humor and boundless warmth. His laughter was contagious and his quick wit never failed to bring smiles to the faces of those around him. He cherished his family above all else, enjoying watching football with his father, Ronald Skosnik, a retired high school football coach. Attending the annual Yale-Harvard game was a tradition they both profoundly cherished. Recently, he developed an affinity for interior design, a passion he shared with his mother, Linda. Patrick took great pride in the home he meticulously put together in Boston.
Patrick was a devoted and generous mentor to many people over the years, many of whom followed in his footsteps into academia, occupying faculty positions at prestigious universities. He also established numerous collaborations within the department. His family at SNRGY will forever remember Patrick, not only for his intellect and creativity, but for his gentle spirit, sensitivity, and love for animals. He was kind to those who worked with him - he left a lasting impression on those who got to know him.
Patrick is survived by his parents, his sister, her husband and two nieces whom he doted on. He also leaves behind many friends, collaborators and mentees who will miss him dearly.
Information on a remembrance for Patrick is pending.
This announcement was jointly prepared by John Krystal, MD, and Deepak Cyril D’Souza, MD, with assistance from colleagues and Patrick's family.