Dr. Jellinek earned his undergraduate degree at Columbia College and his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed pediatrics training at Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, and residencies in child psychiatry at Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and in psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. Currently he is Professor of Psychiatry and of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Adjunct Professor of Social Policy and Health Care at the Heller School, Brandeis University.

Dr. Jellinek has dedicated himself to the emotional welfare of children, with a particular focus on helping pediatricians quickly identify and refer children who may need services. He was Chief of Child Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital for 32 years from 1979-2012. Dr. Jellinek has written or co-written over 500 original reports, articles, and chapters. He served as Editor for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Bright Futures in Practice: Mental Health. And, most importantly, with Michael Murphy, EdD, he developed the Pediatric Symptom Checklist, which is the most widely used brief screening instrument to help primary care pediatricians identify and refer those children with emotional problems.

While Chief of Child Psychiatry, Dr. Jellinek served in several administrative positions at Massachusetts General Hospital. He led the hospital’s master-planning process and the construction of the Yawkey Ambulatory Center. In 2000, he became President of Newton-Wellesley Hospital. With the critical help of an excellent management team, the hospital went from a negative to a positive margin, increased clinical revenue fourfold, and achieved high levels of patient satisfaction. In 2012, Dr. Jellinek was promoted to Chief Clinical Officer, Partners HealthCare (now MGB), responsible for the implementation of the EPIC medical record system. In 2014, Dr. Jellinek was named CEO, Community Network and EVP, Lahey Health System.

In 2017, Dr. Jellinek founded Ulysses Consulting, LLC, focused on helping CEOs effectively run companies and develop their senior leadership teams. He has recently helped develop the management structures for a company that grew from 13 to over 180 employees, helped transition the leadership of a large firm from father to son, and resolved friction between a CEO and president. Dr. Jellinek continues to teach a seminar in the MGH Child Psychiatry Residency Program and a course in MD/MBA program at the Heller School, Brandeis University.

In 2018, Dr. Jellinek helped found and served (2018-2022) as Medical Director of the NWH Community Collaborative, a community benefit initiative consisting of eight councils to bridge needed services between the hospital, community groups, and patients. In 2024, Dr. Jellinek was given the first Newton Wellesley Hospital Community Champion Award.

Dr. Jellinek lives in Newton with his wife Barbara, a retired nurse practitioner; their three children, and, currently, 6 grandchildren.