Mark DeAntonio

It is with deep sadness that the Child and Adolescent Division and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences announce the passing of Mark DeAntonio, MD, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, at the age of 67 after an extended illness fought with great courage. Dr. DeAntonio continued working up until 2 weeks before his death. A beloved teacher, master clinician, humanitarian, role model and colleague, he will be sorely missed.

Dr. DeAntonio was a California native, growing up in the San Fernando Valley as the son of Carlo DeAntonio, MD, the 1st child psychiatrist to practice in the Valley, and his mother Madeline, a psychiatric social worker. As an undergraduate he attended UCLA and, following a foray into the emerging Venice art and music scene, graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in molecular biology. Mark received his M.D. from Stanford University School of Medicine in 1982—later he was profiled in a compilation of “famous 40” graduates from Stanford Medical School. Dr. DeAntonio went on to an internship and residency in general psychiatry at Yale. Despite being heavily wooed to stay, he returned West to complete his training in child and adolescent psychiatry at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, where he was awarded the Gertrude Rogers Greenblatt Fellow Award for the most compassionate and exemplary clinical care demonstrated by a graduating child psychiatry fellow. Subsequently Mark joined the faculty at UCLA in 1988, and UCLA remained his only academic home for 33 years despite being recruited by multiple programs. Soon after his faculty appointment he became the Director of Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry and later the overall Director of Inpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the UCLA-Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, a position he retained until his passing.

Dr. DeAntonio had a passion to provide care for the most severely mentally ill and vulnerable youth, especially those with developmental disabilities, who often might have gone unheard or neglected. During his career Dr. DeAntonio rose to the level of Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and received numerous accolades and awards for his teaching and clinical expertise, including the Outstanding Achievement Award in 2021 from the Southern California Psychiatric Society. Less well known was Dr. DeAntonio’s support for over 20 years as a consultant to the UCLA Pediatric HIV/AIDS Program, chairing a national child psychiatry committee on HIV Issues, leading the Media Theatre portion of national child psychiatry meetings, and his work as a medical missionary providing care to indigenous peoples in the Andes of Peru, where he made annual visits, sometimes accompanied by trainees, until interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As news of his declining health recently circulated, nearly 3 hours of individual video testimonials were received from former trainees and colleagues from around the United States, expressing their gratitude and admiration for his profound impact on their careers as an educator and role model, and their admiration for his obvious devotion to his family. Mark will also be remembered for his enjoyment of hosting dinners in his lovely home with his wife Polly for visiting speakers, faculty, and trainees and for his many interests—he told spellbinding stories of the early punk rock scene (including his own musical exploits) and had a passion for music and film, the outdoors of the Western US, astronomy, and animals. He had overflowing pride in the accomplishments of his wife and their two children. His colleagues and the Department mourn his passing but celebrate his enormous contributions to the field of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and to the UCLA training program that he loved.

Dr. DeAntonio is survived by his mother Madeline DeAntonio, his wife Polly Estabrook, their son Jasper DeAntonio (spouse Abigail Ray Kirchman and grandchild Juniper Marie), their daughter Charlotte DeAntonio, his brothers Carlo DeAntonio, MD, and Thomas DeAntonio, PsyD, and his sister Luisa T. Buchman, PhD.

Alexander S. Young, MD, MSHS
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

James T. McCracken, MD
Joseph Campbell Professor of Child Psychiatry
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA