In Memory

Claude Moussa Chemtob - Class Of 1968

Claude Moussa Chemtob

1950 - Dec 19, 2019


Claude Moussa Chemtob, Ph.D., 69, of Honolulu, Hawaii died December 19, 2019.

He was born in Alexandria, Egypt to parents Elie and Toni Chemtob. The family immigrated to France in 1961 and later to the U.S. in 1964.

Claude Chemtob earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Michigan and held multiple academic appointments over his distinguished career, including Professor of Psychiatry and Child Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine. Published widely on culture and trauma, Dr. Chemtob was a pioneer in understanding the impact of trauma on adults and children exposed to disaster and terrorism. He conducted groundbreaking studies of preschool children and their mothers following 9/11 and developed school-based interventions and treatments for children and adults with PTSD. He also served as an expert witness following industrial and mining accidents and in forensic cases.

Though the focus of his professional work was somber, Claude Chemtob was exuberant as a host and connoisseur of fine art, cuisine, and jazz.

He was predeceased by his wife Linda Shapiro and is survived by his brother Alan Chemtob (of Carlsbad, CA) and nieces Chloe and Lauren Chemtob. With his strong intelligence, discerning taste, and joie de vivre, Claude also leaves behind a large community of devoted friends and colleagues from New York to Honolulu and around the world.



Claude M. Chemtob Memorial Fund at the NYU McSilver Institute

Claude M. Chemtob, Ph.D. (1950-2019) was a brilliant psychologist and researcher specializing in trauma and the effect of disasters in adults and children. His expertise ranged from the study of trauma in combat veterans and survivors of the 9/11 attacks to how it affects mothers and pre-school children.

Dr. Chemtob received his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in 1980. Most recently, he had been a Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine. Prior to that, he was a Visiting Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NY.

He had been a researcher at the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a member of the New York City and New York State Advisory Panel on Adults Exposed to the World Trade Center Attacks, a member of the NIMH Child Intervention Center Special Emphasis Panel, and the Saul Z. Cohen Chair of Child and Family Mental Health at the Jewish Board for Family and Children’s Services. The field lost an exceptional scholar when he died on December 18, 2019, at the age of 69. We will miss him dearly.

Among Dr. Chemtob’s many achievements was the creation of the Safe Mothers, Safe Children (SMSC) intervention, which is designed to treat maternal PTSD among child welfare-involved mothers who are at high risk of repeat maltreatment. It is intended to prevent harm to children by reducing the adverse effects trauma on parenting. SMSC is currently housed at the NYU McSilver Institute, and Dr. Chemtob had been its co-principal investigator with the institute’s Executive Director, Dr. Michael A. Lindsey.

The Claude M. Chemtob Memorial Fund has been created in this leading scholar’s memory. Donations made to this newly-established fund will continue the healing work to which Dr. Chemtob dedicated his career. Please read more about the important research of the SMSC study. We hope you will contribute to his legacy and help make a difference for mothers and families.