News

Obituary - Dr. James Naiman (1926 - 2020)

Published: 2 February 2021

Dr. James Naiman passed away peacefully on December 22, 2020. He was born in Berlin in 1926 and moved to Montreal with his parents by way of Paris and New York. He enrolled at McGill University at 14 where he received his BA and M.D.C.M. He enjoyed an illustrious career as a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst that spanned 65 years. Some of his many accomplishments included teaching psychiatry at McGill as an Associate Professor and serving in leadership roles at the Quebec Psychiatric Association, the Canadian Psychoanalytic Society, and the International Psychoanalytical Society. He published over 60 peer-reviewed articles and received the inaugural Citation of Merit from the Canadian Psychoanalytic Society. Above all, he was devoted to his patients, many of whom were analysts themselves. Dr. Naiman was also devoted to his family and enjoyed the arts, fine dining, and telling good stories. He is pre-deceased by his wife Janina, brother Michael Chemlevsky, and survived by his children, Linda, David, and Robin (John), and former wife Sheila. He remains forever in our hearts and memories and will be greatly missed.

Donations to McGill University Dept of Psychiatry in his memory are gratefully accepted at www.alumni.mcgill.ca/give/index.php?giftCode=04512

A celebration of life will be held when the pandemic is over. You are invited to contact us at https://james-naiman-memorial.eventbrite.com where we can keep you updated. Read more

Back to top