By the time this weekend rolls around, Dr. Samuel Herschkowitz, a psychiatrist in private practice in Brooklyn Heights, will have become director of the Psychoanalytic Institute at New York University. This is a very prestigious position within the Department of Psychiatry of the NYU Medical Center, and the 55-year-old Dr. Herschkowitz was clearly pleased yesterday when he discussed his appointment.

It will allow him to do what he loves doing best – teach and conduct research. He’s been teaching for the last 25 years, and is currently a professor of psychiatry at NYU Medical Center. His students are psychiatric residents; he also trains graduates to become psychoanalysts.

“I’ve been a teacher for a long time and find it to be one of the most important things I do,” Dr. Herschkowitz said.

A perusal of his CV reveals such a long list of academic and professional accomplishments that a reporter couldn’t help asking Dr. Herschkowitz how he found the time to do everything that he did. “I start early – at 6 a.m. every day,” he replied.

Most of his morning is spent in private practice. “My patients tend to be Wall Street business men, doctors and lawyers,” Dr. Herschkowitz said. “I’ve fashioned my practice to be very secluded and away from commercial areas. It allows my patients privacy and anonymity so that they can see me without concern.” To relax and stay fit, he lifts weights and goes skiing. He’s also a founding member of the Foundation for the Support of Psychoanalytic Education and Research, Inc. The foundation was formed to create community outreach for the treatment of emotional disorders of children and adults.

Dr. Herschkowitz is also the chairman of Delcath Systems, Inc. – a Nasdaq-listed company located in Stamford, Conn. It specializes in the creation of a delivery devise for the treatment of Cancer Chemotherapy agents. The company, which has a market capitalization of $50 million, was started in 1990 by a group of Yale scientists. Its products are still undergoing trials at the Federal Drug Administration, but Dr. Herschkowitz expects that revenues will start in 24 to 36 months. Sales in the first, he estimates will be $20 million to $30 million. And in 10 years, revenues will be $500 million.

Asked about his investments, Dr. Herschkowitz said: “I’m much more interested in public welfare – how to contribute to public health. My heart lies in practice and teaching.”

His advice to young people is to “start very early in life and to not discount any possibilities.” In New York, Dr. Herschkowitz said, “at every corner there’s a new opportunity. And the best way to take these opportunities is to embrace people and help them.”