Psychiatrists, Congresswoman, and Nonprofit Organization Receive Distinguished Service Awards at APA Annual Meeting

Two psychiatrists, a U.S. congressional representative, and an organization received Distinguished Service Awards from the American Psychiatric Association during its annual meeting last month in New Orleans.

The recipients of the individual awards were Robert Michels, M.D., Myrna M. Weissman, Ph.D., and Representative Marge Roukema (R-N.J.). The award recognizes exceptional meritorious service to American psychiatry.

Dr. Michels is the Walsh McDermott university professor of medicine and psychiatry at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Dr. Weissman is professor of epidemiology in psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons and the School of Public Health at Columbia University and chief of the department of clinical-genetic epidemiology at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Representative Roukema, the 11th-term dean of the New Jersey delegation, was recognized for her sponsorship of 1996 legislation that brought about partial parity for insurance coverage of mental health treatment. She is a current sponsor of legislation that would enact full parity for both mental health and substance abuse treatment.

The Carter Center received the Organizational Distinguished Service Award, which honors groups that have benefited APA, the field of psychiatry, or persons with mental illness. The Carter Center was founded in Atlanta in 1982 by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, to advance peace and health worldwide. The nongovernmental, nonprofit organization works to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health. The center has touched the lives of people in more than 65 countries. The Carter Center's mental health program, founded by Mrs. Carter and directed by Greg Fricchione, M.D., seeks to erase the stigma of mental illness through several initiatives, including the Carter Center mental health task force, the annual Rosalynn Carter symposium on mental health policy, and the Rosalynn Carter fellowships for mental health journalism.

Presidential Commendations. Eight leaders in psychiatry received Special Presidential Commendations by APA President Daniel B. Borenstein, M.D. Jerome S. Beigler, M.D., was honored for his exemplary service to APA and his leadership and advocacy for the protection of confidentiality in the psychiatrist-patient relationship. Dr. Beigler is professor emeritus at the University of Chicago and the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis.

Donald J. Cohen, M.D., was commended for his lifelong clinical and research achievements, which have helped shape national policies for children and adolescents, and his mentoring to legions of psychiatrists. Dr. Cohen is the director of the Yale Child Study Center and the Sterling professor of child psychiatry, pediatrics, and psychology at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.

Stephen Gaghan was recognized for his depiction of important aspects of substance abuse and addiction and for encouraging appropriate treatment in the movie Traffic. Mr. Gaghan recently won an Academy Award for best screenplay for Traffic.

Peter B. Gruenberg, M.D., was honored for his exemplary service to APA and his long-standing leadership in the development, interpretation, and implementation of ethics policies and procedures. Dr. Gruenberg is in private practice and is associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Thomas S. Jensen, M.D., was commended for his exemplary leadership and advocacy for the highest standards of clinical practice and professional ethics and the courage to stand up for high-quality care. Dr. Jensen is assistant clinical professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, and has a private practice specializing in child psychiatry.

Merlin H. Johnson, M.D., professor emeritus in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, was recognized for his exemplary service to APA, for his leadership in academia and psychiatry, and as a beloved mentor.

Ronald A. Shellow, M.D., was honored for his exemplary service to APA, his dedication to the profession, and his integrity. Dr. Shellow is in private practice and is voluntary professor of psychiatry at the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, Florida.

William D. Weitzel, M.D., was commended for his exemplary leadership, integrity, and wit while serving the psychiatry profession. Dr. Weitzel practices general psychiatry in Lexington, Kentucky, and is clinical professor of psychiatry in the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky and an instructor at the Kentucky College of Law.

Bolivar Award. F. Moises Gaviria, M.D., received the Simon Bolivar Award, which honors prominent Hispanic statesmen or spokespersons. Dr. Gaviria is professor of psychiatry and director of the neuropsychiatric division at the University of Illinois at Chicago and professor of psychiatry in the department of neurosurgery at the university.

Fuller Award. Ezra E. H. Griffith, M.D., professor and deputy chair for clinical affairs in the department of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine and professor of African-American studies at Yale University, was presented with the Solomon Carter Fuller Award. The award honors black citizens who have been pioneers in areas that have significantly improved the quality of life for black people.

Guttmacher Award. Paul E. Mullen, M.B., Michele Pathe, M.D., and Rosemary Purcell each received the Manfred S. Guttmacher Award for their outstanding contributions to the literature of forensic psychiatry. Dr. Mullen is professor of forensic psychiatry at Monash University Medical School and clinical director at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health in Melbourne, Australia. Dr. Pathe is consultant forensic psychiatrist and assistant clinical director at the Victorian Institute, honorary senior lecturer at Monash University, and a fellow in the department of criminology at the University of Melbourne. Ms. Purcell is a registered psychologist currently completing her doctorate in the department of psychological medicine at Monash University. In addition to their other contributions to the literature, the three awardees are coauthors of Stalkers and Their Victims, published last year by Cambridge University Press.

Human Rights Award. Semyon Gluzman, M.D., of Kiev, Ukraine, received the Human Rights Award. In 1972, while he was practicing psychiatry in the Ukraine, Dr. Guzman was arrested for refusing to use psychiatry for political purposes. He served ten years in a Russian prison. For the past 20 years, he has dedicated his efforts to investigating and publicizing human rights violations and offering legal and psychological assistance to victims of repression and to their families.

Marmor Award. Eric R. Kandel, M.D., received the Marmor Award for his substantial contribution to advancing the biopsychosocial model of psychiatry. Dr. Kandel, who won the 2000 Nobel Prize in Medicine, is university professor of physiology and cell biophysics, psychiatry, biochemistry, and molecular biophysics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, director of the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior at Columbia University, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute senior investigator.

McGavin Awards. Sandra J. Kaplan, M.D., received the Agnes Purcell McGavin Award for Prevention, which honors psychiatrists for outstanding work related to the preventive aspects of emotional disorders of children. Dr. Kaplan is vice-chair of the department of psychiatry for child and adolescent psychiatry at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York. She is also professor of clinical psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine. Jack C. Westman, M.D., professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, was presented with the McGavin Award for Distinguished Career Achievement in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Media Awards. The Robert T. Morse Writers Award was presented to Diana K. Sugg, a health reporter at the Baltimore Sun. The award honors popular writers who have made major contributions to the public understanding of psychiatry and mental illness. The Robert L. Robinson Award for radio and television productions that contribute significantly to a better public understanding of psychiatry and mental illness was given to Geoffrey Smith Stephens, the special projects producer for Dateline NBC.

Meyer Award. Steven E. Hyman, M.D., director of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, was presented with the Adolf Meyer Award, which honors outstanding investigators.

Patient Advocacy Award. Latanya Sweeney, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science and of public policy at the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, received the Award for Patient Advocacy, which was established to recognize a public figure who has promoted the improvement of services for people with mental and substance use disorders and who has fought stigma against persons with mental illness.

Pfister Award. Irvin D. Yalom, M.D., professor emeritus of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and author of several best-selling books on the therapist-patient relationship, received the Oskar Pfister Award. The award honors outstanding contributions in the fields of psychiatry and religion.

Profile of Courage Award. Jerome R. Lance, M.D., received the Assembly Profile of Courage Award, which recognizes an APA member who has risked his or her professional or personal status to take an ethical stand against intimidating pressure for the good of patient care and in keeping with APA principles of medical ethics. Dr. Lance was recognized for his extended period of commitment to his patients and his values while working as a staff psychiatrist for Ventura County Mental Health in California. The award was presented at the November 2000 APA Assembly meeting.

Ray Award. Robert D. Hare, Ph.D., received the Isaac Ray Award for outstanding contributions to forensic psychiatry. Dr. Hare, professor of psychology emeritus at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, has devoted most of his academic career to the investigation of psychopathy.

Research awards. Kenneth L. Davis, M.D., and Jack M. Gorman, M.D., each received an APA Award for Research in Psychiatry, the highest award for research given by APA. Dr. Davis, chair of psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, directs Mount Sinai's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. He was recognized for his work on all aspects of experimental therapeutics, including animal models, assessment instruments, and design issues in drug testing. Dr. Gorman is Lieber professor and vice-chair for research of the department of psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. He is also director of the Mental Health Clinical Research Center for Schizophrenia Studies at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, the chief scientist of the Lieber Center for Schizophrenia Research at Columbia, and scientific director of the Phobia, Anxiety, and Stress Disorders Clinic at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York.

David Shaffer, M.D., was presented with the Blanche F. Ittleson Award for Research in Child Psychiatry for his ongoing work with childhood disorders, especially on the link between antisocial and aggressive behavior and child suicide. Dr. Shaffer is Irving Phillips professor of psychiatry and director of child and adolescent psychiatry in the department of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Raquel E. Gur, M.D., Ph.D., received the Kempf Fund Award for Research Development in Psychobiological Psychiatry (Mentor), which recognizes outstanding researchers into the causes and treatments of schizophrenia who are also important mentors. Dr. Gur is professor of psychiatry, neurology, and radiology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Steven Siegel, M.D., Ph.D., was given the Kempf Fund Award for Research Development in Psychobiological Psychiatry (Mentee), which honors research excellence in the causes and treatment of schizophrenia. Dr. Siegel is in the second year of a fellowship in the division of neuropsychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, under the mentorship of Dr. Gur.

Harold A. Pincus, M.D., was presented with the Health Services Research Senior Scholar Award for sustained research accomplishments that have made an important contribution to mental health services research. Dr. Pincus is executive vice-chair of the department of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of the Rand Health Institute in Pittsburgh.

Philip S. Wang, M.D., received the Health Services Research Early Career Award for his research in mental health services, psychopharmacoepidemiology, and pharmacoeconomic analyses of the use of psychiatric medications. Dr. Wang is an instructor of medicine and health care policy at Harvard Medical School and instructor in epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Five psychiatric residents received APA/Lilly Resident Research Awards for excellence in research undertaken during their residency training. Recipients were Michael Haberecht, M.D., of Stanford University School of Medicine; Amir A. Khan, M.D., of the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond; Sanjay Mathew, M.D., of Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute; Jennifer L. Payne, M.D., of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore; and Jay H. Shore, M.D., of the University of Colorado in Denver.

Lilly Psychiatric Research Fellowships, which support the career development of postgraduate medical trainees who show promise in psychiatric research, were awarded to Angela F. Arnold, M.D., of Atlanta, Tarique D. Perera, M.D., of New York City, and Elizabeth A. Walter, M.D., of New Haven, Connecticut.

Mitchell S. Nobler, M.D., of New York City, received the APA/SmithKline Beecham Junior Faculty Fellowship for Research Development in Biological Psychiatry. Wyeth-Ayerst M.D./Ph.D. Psychiatric Research Fellowships were presented to Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., of New York City; Jaakko Lappalainen, M.D., Ph.D., of New Haven, Connecticut; and Xiaohong Wang, M.D., Ph.D., of Atlanta.

Soo Award. Francis G. Lu, M.D., received the Kun-Po Soo Award recognizing significant contributions toward understanding the impact of Asian heritage on areas relevant to psychiatry. Dr. Lu is professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and director of the cultural competence and diversity program at San Francisco General Hospital.

Spurlock Award. Irma J. Bland, M.D., was presented with the Jeanne Spurlock Minority Fellowship Achievement Award in honor of her outstanding achievements as a clinician, educator, and administrator. Dr. Bland is an adolescent and adult psychiatrist and a psychoanalyst in New Orleans. She serves as regional administrator and chief executive officer for the office of mental health (region 1) of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. The award was established last year to recognize the achievements of former fellows of the APA minority fellowship program.

Symonds Award. Ann Ruth Turkel, M.D., received the Alexandra Symonds Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions and leadership in promoting women's health and the advancement of women. She is a psychiatrist and a psychoanalyst in New York City, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and a supervising analyst at the William Alanson White Institute.

Tarjan Award. Busharat Ahmad, M.D., received the George Tarjan Award for significant contributions to the enhancement of the integration of international medical graduates into American psychiatry. Dr. Ahmad is an ophthalmologist who practices in Monroe, Michigan.

Vestermark Award. Jerald Kay, M.D., received the APA/NIMH Vestermark Psychiatry Educator Award for outstanding contributions to education and career development in psychiatry. He is professor and chair of the department of psychiatry at Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio.

Weinberg Award. Elliott M. Stein, M.D., was presented with the Jack Weinberg Memorial Award for Geriatric Psychiatry, which honors a psychiatrist who has demonstrated special leadership or done outstanding work in geriatric psychiatry. Dr. Stein is in private practice in geriatric psychiatry in Miami Beach, Florida.