Leonard Jason

Leonard A. Jason, PhD, is a professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, US and Director of the Center for Community Research at DePaul University which includes the Depaul University Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Project.

Dr. Jason developed chronic fatigue syndrome after contracting infectious mononucleosis in 1989, necessitating a leave of absence from his university job for a year and a half. After recovering enough to return to work, he began studying chronic fatigue syndrome: “What I found was that the illness had a lousy name, chronic fatigue syndrome,” he recalled. “It had an even worse case definition. The tests used to assess people’s psychological conditions were inappropriate. The treatments being used were inappropriate. And the prevalence data was not very good. So I said to myself, ‘Boy, I’m gonna have business for the next 20 years.’” He has become one of the most respected and prolific researchers of chronic fatigue syndrome.

In 2008, David Tuller profiled for The New York Times Dr. Jason's experience as both living with and researching myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

Education

 * 1971 - B.A., Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts
 * 1975 - Ph.D., Clinical/Community Psychology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York

Awards

 * 1997, CSN ACTION Champion Award from the Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome Association of America (CAA)
 * 2011, Rudy Perpich Senior Lectureship Award, presented to a distinguished CFS/FM scientist, physician or healthcare worker awarded by International Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
 * 2011, Tom Fellows award for outstanding contributions to the Oxford House organization
 * 2013, DePaul University College of Science and Health award for Excellence in Research
 * 2015, American Psychological Association’s award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research

Pediatric case definition

 * 2006, A Pediatric Case Definition for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Full Text)

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee

 * 2004-2011, Dr. Jason served as a voting member of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from April 1, 2004 to April 1, 2011.

ME/CFS Common Data Element (CDE) Project

 * 2017-2018, Dr Jason serves on the Baseline/Covariate Working Group of the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Common Data Element (CDE) Project sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This working group reviewed data collection instruments widely used by investigators in the ME/CFS field, and either recommended their use unchanged or (more often) proposed some modifications.

Chilli ME Challenge

 * 2015, Leonard Jason and his research team at DePaul University participated in an ME/CFS awareness and biomedical research funding project which involved eating a hot chili pepper.  DePaul Chili Challenge video

Open letter to The Lancet
Three open letters to the editor of The Lancet urged the editor to commission a fully independent review of the PACE trial, which the journal had published in 2011. The first, written in 2015, was signed by Dr. Jason and five of his colleagues. In 2016, thirty-six additional colleagues in the ME/CFS field, signed the second letter. In 2018, Dr. Jason was joined with over 100 signatories.


 * 13 November 2015, An open letter to Dr. Richard Horton and The Lancet
 * 10 February 2016, An open letter to The Lancet, again - Virology blog
 * 19 June 2018, An Open Letter to The Lancet, Two Years On

Notable studies
Dr. Leonard Jason is a prolific researcher of ME/CFS. Titles of his numerous studies and articles can be accessed via the following links:


 * Studies by Leonard Jason prior to 2000


 * Studies by Leonard Jason for 2000 - 2003


 * Studies by Leonard Jason for 2004 & 2005


 * Studies by Leonard Jason for 2006 & 2007


 * Studies by Leonard Jason for 2008 & 2009


 * Studies by Leonard Jason for 2010 & 2011


 * Studies by Leonard Jason for 2012 & 2013


 * Studies by Leonard Jason for 2014 & 2015


 * Studies by Leonard Jason for 2016 & 2017


 * Studies by Leonard Jason for 2018

Talks and Interviews

 * 2014, Leonard Jason answering questions from members of the Institute of Medicine panel on case definition issues
 * Oct 2015, Defining essential features of myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome (Sweden)]
 * 2016, 12th International IACFS/ME Biennial Clinical and Research Conference, Emerging Science and Clinical Care, Behavioral Assessment and Treatment of ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia(Workshop given with Fred Friedberg, Ph.D.)
 * 2016, "qEEG LORETA CFS Case study - Sci Forschen Inc." with Leonard Jason, Marcie Zinn, and Mark Zinn
 * 2016, Leonard Jason's comments at Sept. 27th, 2016 #millionsmissing protest in Chicago
 * Mar 2017, Leonard Jason's Presentation to European Network on "Current Situation on Prevalence and Diagnostic Crieria for ME and CFS"
 * Jan 2017, Leonard Jason's talk to the Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago on "Understanding Unexplained Illness: From Knowledge to Action"     Slides for "Understanding Unexplained Illness: From Knowledge to Action"

Invest in ME International ME Conference

 * 2008, Speaker at the 3rd Invest in ME International ME Conference on Case Definitions of ME/CFS – including paediatric case definition DVD available
 * 2010, Speaker at the 5th Invest in ME International ME Conference on Key Note Speech: How Case Definitions Can Stigmatize: Implications for Epidemiology, Etiology, and Pathophysiology DVD available

ME/CFS Alert

 * 2011, ME/CFS Alert Episode 10 - Dr. Leonard Jason, Pt. 3
 * 2011, ME/CFS Alert Episode 09 - Dr. Leonard Jason, Pt. 2
 * 2011, ME/CFS Alert Episode 08 - Dr. Leonard Jason, Pt. 1

Web seminars Science for Patients / Wetenschap voor patienten (The Netherlands, english spoken, dutch subtitles)

 * 2014, 50. Introduction - Experience with ME / Introductie - Ervaring met ME Prof. Leonard Jason
 * 2014, 51. Criteria and Diagnosis part 1 / Criteria en diagnose deel 1 - Prof. Leonard Jason
 * 2014, 52. Criteria and Diagnosis part 2 / Criteria en diagnose deel 2 - Prof. Leonard Jason
 * 2014, 53. ME versus Psychiatric Disorders / ME versus psychiatrische aandoeningen - Prof. Leonard Jason
 * 2014, 54. Treating and managing ME / Behandelen van en omgaan met ME -Prof. Leonard Jason
 * 2014, 55. Symptoms of ME and treatments / Symptomen van ME en behandelingen - Prof. Leonard Jason
 * 2014, 56. Population and Social Impact / Populatie en sociale gevolgen - Prof. Leonard Jason
 * 2014, 57. Future and Teaching about ME / Toekomst en onderwijs geven over ME - Prof. Leonard Jason

Books

 * 1998, Understanding Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Empirical Guide to Assessment and Treatment, by Fred Friedberg and Leonard Jason
 * 2001, Clinician's Guide To Controversial Illnesses: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, by Renée R. Taylor, Fred Friedberg, and Leonard A. Jason
 * 2003, The Handbook of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by Leonard Jason, Patricia Fennell and Renée R. Taylor.
 * 2008, Fatigue Science for Human Health, edited by Yatanabe, Y., Evengard, B., Natelson, B.H., Jason, L.A., & Kuratsune, H.
 * 2013, (Book chapter) The implications of sensitization and kindling for chronic fatigue syndrome

Articles

 * 18 September 2017, "To Serve or Not to Serve: Ethical and Policy Implications"

Online Presence

 * Twitter
 * YouTube Channel
 * Website

Learn More

 * Wikipedia - Leonard Jason
 * Leonard Jason's Home Page at DePaul University