VINCENT D'ANDREA

(Philadelphia, 1930 - 22 agosto 2001)

Psichiatra

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His loss is being felt by the mental health community at Stanford -- and by generations of students. "Vince was very talented in the work he did with students, both in therapy but also and equally importantly, in the work he did fostering peer counseling at Stanford," said Alejandro Martinez, director of counseling and psychological services at Cowell Student Health Services, who worked with D'Andrea for 25 years. The son of Italian immigrants, D'Andrea was born in Philadelphia in 1930. After studying literature at LaSalle College, where received his B.A. in 1953, D'Andrea followed his father's wishes and attended medical school. D'Andrea specialized in psychiatry at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, earning his M.D. in 1957. He first came to Stanford to do a psychiatry residency at the Medical Center in 1959. D'Andrea taught psychiatry at the Medical Center as an instructor from 1962 to 1963, when he left to work for the Peace Corps. For five years, he served as chief psychiatrist for the group in both Hawaii and Washington, D.C. Martinez said that D'Andrea's cross-cultural experiences with the Corps helped him to be an excellent counselor and adviser to students of diverse backgrounds. In 1967, he returned to Palo Alto as a partner at the Palo Alto Medical Clinic -- which, at the time, provided health services for Stanford students. He remained with the clinic until 1992 and with student health services until retiring in 1997. In 1970, he founded The Bridge, a center on campus dedicated to providing peer counseling services for students. In the era of the mantra "never trust anyone over 30," D'Andrea's initiative gave Stanford students the option to talk to people their own age about their problems. He also created and taught a set of courses for student counselors. "The Bridge is probably the thing he loved most and was proudest of," said his wife, Shirley. D'Andrea taught at the Medical Center, where he was a clinical professor of psychiatry beginning in 1983. He was an affiliate of the Department of Psychology. In addition to all his work at Stanford, D'Andrea also found time to cultivate other health-related interests and outside hobbies. He was a student of acupunture and Chinese herbal medicine. He collected antique cars, especially Bentleys. And his deep love of music was well known on campus, where he sometimes appeared in Gilbert and Sullivan operas.

• M. Alexander, Vincent D'Andrea, founder of The Bridge, dies at 70, in «Stanford Report», Stanford, 22 agosto 2001.

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Scritti di Vincent D'Andrea:

• V. D'Andrea e P. Salovey, Peer Counseling. Skills & Perspectives, Science & Behavior Books,  Palo Alto 1983;

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