In Memoriam: David Iseman 1944-2006

Dr. David Iseman of the Toronto Psychoanalytic Society died suddenly and \ prematurely in May 2006 while doing something he loved best—running. He leaves behind three daughters, a son, and his recent wife and colleague, Louise Carignan. Over the years, David had been my student, colleague, friend, and latterly—my office mate.

I first met David around 1971 when he was a resident in psychiatry at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto. He was aptly described as being quiet, competent, and industrious. He quickly realized that his interests did not lie in hospital psychiatry, but in psychoanalysis. Following his residency, in 1973 he was accepted into the third Toronto Institute of Psychoanalysis class. It was obvious that David was a caring therapist and became a trusted colleague following his graduation 5 years later. His passion for this work never waned.

Initially, he was overshadowed by some of his more verbal and theatrical classmates, but unlike many colleagues he became more and more proficient and active so that 20 years later he was chairing every committee he had ever joined. David became a training analyst in the Toronto and Canadian Institutes of Psychoanalysis by 1990. He was primarily responsible for bringing our society into the electronic communication age and devised library coding and billing programs that still are in use.

Dr. Iseman's resumé was outstanding in the field of psychoanalysis locally, nationally, and internationally. He has been president of both the Toronto Psychoanalytic Society and Canadian Psychoanalytic Society, director of the Toronto Institute of Psychoanalysis and the Canadian Institute of Psychoanalysis, and chair of several International Psychoanalytic Association committees that had him flying all over the world from ancient Europe to Asia. Most recently he was the chair of the New Groups Committee of the International Psychoanalytic Association—a committee that oversees the formation of all new psychoanalytic groups wor