Dr. Braceland was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, received his M.D. (1930) from Jefferson Medical School, interned at Jefferson Hospital (1930–32), and entered residency at the Pennsylvania Hospital (1932–35). He served as a Rockefeller Fellow at Burgholz in Switzerland and at the National Hospital, Queens Square, in London. He returned to the Pennsylvania Hospital as Clinical Director and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Women's Medical College. In 1941, he served as Professor of Psychiatry and Dean of the Medical School of Loyola University.
During WWII, Dr. Braceland entered the U.S. Navy as Chief of Neuropsychiatry at the Bureau of Medicine & Surgery and was awarded the Legion of Merit medal for his service. After the war, he went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where he established the Department of Psychiatry. In 1851, he moved to the Institute of Living, as Psychiatrist-in-Chief, retiring in 1965.
Dr. Braceland was always a professor of psychiatry in medical schools near his location, including Yale (1951–56). He received honorary degrees from 12 universities, including Georgetown and Northwestern.
He was a member of and served as a consultant to many national, state, and local groups. He was President of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (1952), Editor of the American Journal of Psychiatry (1965–78), published a number of books, and contributed to the psychiatric literature.
Dr. Braceland served as President of the American Psychiatric Association (1956–57).