Mitch Rosenthal Obituary, Death – The Conservancy expresses its deepest condolences to Dr. Mitch Rosenthal’s family and friends on the passing of this former Living Landmark recipient. Dr. Rosenthal, a devoted and passionate New Yorker, was the founder and president of the Rosenthal Center for Addiction Studies, the founder of the Phoenix House drug treatment centers, the chair of the New York State Advisory Council on Substance Abuse, a psychiatrist at the United States Naval Hospital, and a philanthropist. In addition, he was the founder of the Rosenthal Center for Addiction Studies and the Phoenix House drug treatment centers.
Mitchell S. “Mitch” Rosenthal, M.D. was the president of the Rosenthal Center for Addiction Studies, a non-profit organization that was established to meet the informational needs of healthcare professionals, policymakers, and members of the general public who are dealing with issues related to drug abuse and addiction.
Dr. Rosenthal was a pioneer in the treatment of substance misuse, and he founded Phoenix House, which is now the most successful private, non-profit provider of substance abuse services in the entire country. He began his career in the field in 1965 as a psychiatrist at the United States Naval Hospital in Oakland, California, where he worked from 1965 until 1967. During that time, he was responsible for establishing the first service-sponsored therapeutic community and treating alcoholics and drug addicts with great success.
Between the years 1985 and 1997, Dr. Rosenthal presided over the New York State Advisory Council on Substance Abuse in his capacity as a prominent advocate for the treatment community. He has served as both a special consultant to the Office of National Drug Control Policy as well as a White House advisor on the issue of drug usage. Dr. Rosenthal received his medical degree at the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center. Prior to that, he completed his undergraduate studies at Lafayette College.
His residencies were in adult, child, and community psychiatry, and he completed them at the Kings County Psychiatric Hospital and the Staten Island Mental Health Society, respectively. In addition to holding the position of lecturer in psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, he was presented with an honorary degree (Doctor of Humane Letters) from SUNY Downstate Medical Center in the year 2002.
