The inspiration behind philanthropy varies among donors. For Stewart E. Teal, M.D., giving to the Department of Psychiatry was a way to show his gratitude for the successful career he has enjoyed since conducting his psychiatry training at the University of Michigan.
In establishing the Stewart E. Teal M.D. and Ann E. Teal M.S.W Opportunity Fund, Dr. Teal and his wife Ann wanted to address the lack of child psychiatrists by encouraging more to enter the field. The Teals’ $200,000 gift will provide those early in their careers with support for research as well as travel expenses to attend scholarly conferences and workshops. Funds will be disbursed at the discretion of the Department of Psychiatry chair.
Ann and Stewart first met at the University of Michigan, where Stewart was conducting his psychiatry residency and Ann was earning her Master of Social Work degree. Stewart’s first job as a psychiatrist was in the U.S. Air Force, serving at Travis Air Force Base’s Family Medical Health Clinic during the late 1960s. At that time, the base saw many flights come and go from Vietnam. While Stewart treated kids and families, he also cared for many of the husbands and fathers who had been fighting in the war.
In 1970, the Teals returned to U-M for Stewart’s child/adolescent psychiatry fellowship, which he completed in 1971. But northern California drew them back, in part because the University of California-Davis was just starting its child psychiatry program. Stewart joined the faculty as an assistant professor, rising through the ranks to professor in the late 1980s. He is currently in his 52nd year on the faculty. In addition to beginning his academic career in 1971, Dr. Teal, with some of his colleagues, launched Omnibus Mental Health Associates that same year, providing child mental health services. It was the first of its kind to operate with a staff across so many disciplines.
Stewart’s career-long focus on community mental health also included working at Sacramento County Juvenile Hall for 12 years, the Sacramento Children’s Home for 25, and a stint at St. Patrick’s Home. At age 72, he decided it was time to retire, 10 years after Ann retired from clinical social work to become an artist. He came out of retirement after two years and worked at his old community mental health clinic as a supervisor until his last retirement on May 10, 2023. Today, Stewart’s practice is in the hands of one of his former trainees. Like his wife, Stewart’s focus has shifted to the arts, and he is an avid writer of science fiction and mystery short stories. However, his passion for psychiatry remains, which his recent gift to the Department of Psychiatry demonstrates.
“I am grateful for the training I received at the University of Michigan’s Department of Psychiatry and all that it enabled me to achieve, such as being able to support the next generation of leading psychiatrists with our gift to the nation’s top ten psychiatry residency programs.” - Stewart E. Teal, M.D.
