One of the nation’s leading authorities on the mind of the mass murderer, Upstate Medical University’s James L. Knoll, IV, M.D., has been named winner of the Seymour Pollack Award by the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law (AAPL). Knoll received the award at the association's annual meeting last month.

The Seymour Pollack Award is given to forensic psychiatrists who have made distinguished contributions to the teaching and educational functions of forensic psychiatry. Knoll received the award at the

Knoll, who joined Upstate in 2006, currently serves as professor of psychiatry; director of Forensic Psychiatry; clinical director of the Central New York Psychiatric Center; and training director of the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program. 

A nationally recognized expert in forensic psychiatry, Knoll is a much sought-after speaker on a multitude of issues, among them mass murder, suicide risk assessment, the insanity defense, stalking and threat assessment. He frequently lectures at the national level, and in early 2020, he was invited by Delaware state Sen. Stephanie Hansen to be the featured speaker at the Delaware Gun Violence Forum. 

As a forensic psychiatrist, he has consulted with numerous law enforcement agencies across the country, including the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice as well as Syracuse, where he also serves as chair of the Threat Assessment Subcommittee of the Syracuse School Safety Task Force. He has been an invited consultant to the National Institute of Justice on Mass Shootings research.

Knoll is emeritus editor-in-chief of the Psychiatric Times, and he has published more than 150 papers in publications, including the Wiley Encyclopedia of Forensic Science, Principles and Practice of Forensic Psychiatry, Gun Violence and Mental Illness and Psychiatric Times.  In 2013, he was invited to present on Violence, Loss & Emotional Healing in Newtown, Conn., as a part of the Sandy Hook Promise in response to the Newtown school shooting tragedy.

Knoll penned the afterword of the book “Every Last Tie: The Story of the Unabomber and His Family” (Duke University Press, 2015), which was written by David Kaczynski, brother of the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski. Knoll was the 2015 winner of SUNY Upstate’s Bruce Dear Writing Award. 

Knoll earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas and his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, where he also did his psychiatric residency. He completed a Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship from Case West Reservice University. 

The AAPL is an organization of psychiatrists dedicated to excellence in practice, teaching, and research in forensic psychiatry. Founded in 1969, AAPL currently has more than 2,000 members in North America and around the world.