News & Notes

George L. Engel, M.D., of Pittsford, New York, and Jay Katz, M.D., of New Haven, Connecticut, were presented with Distinguished Service Awards, the American Psychiatric Association's highest honor, at the APA annual meeting early this month in Toronto. Nearly 50 persons were honored by APA during the meeting, including ten chosen by APA President Herbert S. Sacks, M.D., to receive Special Presidential Commendations. Most of the awards were presented at the APA's convocation of fellows on June 1.

Dr. Engel, who retired as professor of psychiatry and medicine from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1979, was honored for his role in developing the biopsychosocial model of health and disease and for fostering an interdisciplinary educational program that attempts to make medicine more humane. Dr. Katz was honored for his leadership in law, medicine, and psychiatry, particularly in the areas of regulation of human experimentation and the physician-patient relationship in clinical practice. He is the Elizabeth K. Dollard professor emeritus of law, medicine, and psychiatry and the Harvey L. Karp professorial lecturer in law and psychoanalysis at Yale Law School.

Special Presidential Commendations. Among the ten recipients of Special Presidential Commendations was Robert J. Campbell, M.D., of New York City, who retires June 30 after nearly 16 years as editor of Psychiatric News. Dr. Campbell was honored for his outstanding service to Psychiatric News, his creative leadership in psychiatry in New York State, and his work as a mentor to young psychiatrists.

Irving B. Harris of Chicago was recognized for exemplifying the highest values of concern for children. Mr. Harris, a national advocate for children and their families, was cited for his role in creating the National Center for Clinical Infant Programs in Washington, D.C., and the Beeth o ven Project and the Erickson Institute in Chicago, which promote interventions to enhance children's transition to elementary school.

Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, was recognized for her work as a scholar, clinician, and public spokesperson on behalf of patients with bipolar disorder. Dr. Jamison's recently published book, An Unquiet Mind, depicts her own struggle with bipolar disorder.

Herbert Pardes, M.D., vice-president for health sciences, dean of the faculty of medicine, and chairman of the department of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, was recognized for his career as an educator, researcher, psychoanalyst, and medical school dean. Dr. Pardes was also honored as one of two psychiatrists on President Clinton's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry.

Naomi I. Rae-Grant, M.D., was awarded a Special Presidential Commendation for her work in preven tion of psychological problems in children. Dr. Rae-Grant, who retired in 1995 as head of the division of child psychiatry at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, is currently president of the Canadian Academy of Child Psychiatry.

Walter Reich, M.D., of Washington, D.C., was recognized for his distinguished leadership and scholarship during his recent term as director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and for being a champion of human rights. Currently chairman of APA's committee on human rights, Dr. Reich is the author of A Stranger in My House: Jews and Arabs in the West Bank and the editor of Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind.

Samuel Ritvo, M.D., of New Haven, Connecticut, was honored for almost 50 years as a researcher in child development, as a teacher and scholar who was instrumental in training several nationally known child psychiatrists, and as a prolific author. Dr. Ritvo is a past-president of the American Psychoanalytic Association and the Association for Child Psychoanalysis.

David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., surgeon general of the United States Public Health Service and assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services, was honored for his achievements in his former position as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and for his support of mental health initiatives.

Albert J. Solnit, M.D., of New Haven, Connecticut, was recognized for his leadership in child psychiatry and psychoanalysis and for his public-sector initiatives. He was also cited for the breadth of his scholarly writings. Dr. Solnit is Sterling professor emeritus of pediatrics and psychiatry and senior research scientist at the Yale Child Study Center and commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

Gene L. Usdin, M.D., of New Orleans was honored for leadership in major scholarly associations. Dr. Usdin has served as president of the American College of Psychiatrists, the American Association for Social Psychiatry, the Southern Psychiatric Association, and the Louisiana Psychiatric Association, among other organizations.

Research awards. Jeffrey A. Lieberman, M.D., and Robert W. McCarley, M.D., each received an APA Award for Research in Psychiatry, the highest award for research given by the association. Dr. Lieberman was recognized for his research on the neurobiology and pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders. He is professor of psychiatry, pharmacology, and radiology and vice-chairman for research in the department of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

Dr. McCarley was honored for his work on the neurobiology of behavior. His research on sleep has been internationally recognized. He is professor and chair of the Harvard department of psychiatry at the Brockton-West Roxbury (Mass.) Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where he is director of the neuroscience laboratory and the VA Center for Basic and Clinical Neuroscience Studies of Schizophrenia.

Dr. Lieberman also received the Alexander Gralnick Award for Research in Schizophrenia, which recognizes an individual who has contributed to research into the discovery or treatment of the earliest signs of schizophrenia, emphasizing the psychosocial aspects of the disease process.

Five psychiatric residents were presented with APA/Lilly Resident Research Awards, for excellence in research undertaken during residency training. The recipients were Helen C. Kales, M.D., a resident at the University of Michigan Health Systems in Ann Arbor; Xiaohua Li, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Alabama at Birmingham; Sheila M. Loboprabhu, M.D., of the department of psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor; Daniel H. Mathalon, M.D., Ph.D., of Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, Calfornia; and Joel S. Peck, M.D., of the University of Hawaii affiliated hospitals psychiatric residency program in Ho nolulu.

Peter S. Jensen, M.D., associate director for child and adolescent research and chief of the developmental pathology research branch at the National Institute of Mental Health, received the Blanche F. Ittleson Award for Research in Child Psychiatry. Dr. Jensen was recognized for his research on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, psychopathology in children and families of military personnel, and child mental health treatments and outcomes.

Linda L. Carpenter, M.D., Steven J. Garlow, M.D., Ph.D., and John F. Neumaier, M.D., Ph.D., each received the APA/SmithKline Beecham Junior Faculty Fellowship for Research Development in Biological Psychiatry. Dr. Carpenter is chief of the mood disorders program at Butler Hospital and assistant professor of psychiatry at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Garlow is a principal investigator in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Neumaier is assistant professor at the University of Washington and director of the molecular neuroscience laboratory at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Marlene P. Freeman, M.D., received the Lilly Psychiatric Research Fellowship, which provides support for the career development of a postgraduate medical trainee who has shown exceptional promise in psychiatric research. Dr. Freeman has been a resident in the Harvard Longwood psychiatry residency training program in Boston. As a fellowship recipient, she plans to expand previous research on omega-3 fatty acids in bipolar and unipolar depression.

Human Rights Award. Jack Weinberg, M.D., who died in 1982, was awarded the Human Rights Award posthumously. Dr. Weinberg's activities in the area of human rights included speaking out against the use of psychiatry for political purposes in the former U.S.S.R., working toward increased equality in the treatment of mental patients in apartheid-era South Africa, and fostering communication between Israelis and Egyptians following the peace treaty between the two countries.

Braceland Award. Susan J. Blumenthal, M.D., deputy assistant secretary for women's health in the Department of Health and Human Services, was presented with the Francis J. Braceland Award for Public Service in recognition of her leadership in bringing issues of women's health and mental illness to scientific and public attention.

McGavin Award. The Agnes Purcell McGavin Award was presented to John F. McDermott, Jr., M.D., professor emeritus at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine, for his work on the preventive aspects of the emotional disorders of childhood. Dr. McDermott has conducted research on the relationship of social class to mental illness in children and has studied practice patterns in the field of child psychiatry. He introduced the medical specialty of child psychiatry to Indonesia through a collaborative project with the University of Indonesia that trained that country's first child psychiatry practitioners and faculty members.

Isaac Ray Award. Richard J. Bonnie was presented with the Isaac Ray Award, which honors outstanding contributions to forensic psychiatry or to the psychiatric aspects of jurisprudence. Professor Bonnie is the John S. Battle professor of law at the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville and director of the university's Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy. He has been an adviser to APA's council on psychiatry and law since 1979.

Media awards. Wray Herbert of U.S. News & World Report and Sue MacDonald of the Cincinnati Enquirer each received the Robert T. Morse Writers Award, which honors popular writers who have made major contributions to the public understanding of psychiatry and mental illness. Mr. Herbert's story entitled "Politics of Biology" examined the role of the debate on nature versus nurture in determining public policy in such areas as violence, mental illness, alcoholism, and sexual orientation. Ms. MacDonald's series on depression entitled "Beating the Blues" included information on the major types of depression and their symptoms and various therapies used to combat depression. Fred Rothenberg, a producer of Dateline NBC, won the Robert L. Robinson Award for his work entitled "On the Fringe," which reported on the treatment of a man with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Geriatric psychiatry award. The Jack Weinburg Memorial Award for Geriatric Psychiatry was presented to David Blau, M.D., of Newton Centre, Massachusetts, consulting editor of the Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and an early member of the APA's council on aging.

Administrative psychiatry. Mi chael J. Vergare, M.D., received the Administrative Psychiatry Award, which honors an APA member whose effectiveness as an administrator has expanded the body of knowledge of management in mental health services delivery. Dr. Vergare is chairman of the department of psychiatry at Albert Einstein Medical Center, associate vice-president of Belmont Behavioral Health, and medical director of Jefferson Behavioral Health Network in Philadelphia.

Bolivar Award. Javier I. Escobar, M.D., was presented with the Simon Bolivar Award, which honors a prominent Hispanic statesman or spokesperson. A native of Colombia, Dr. Escobar is professor and chairman of the department of psychiatry at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New JerseyWood Johnson Medical School. He is a member of the APA council on international affairs.

Fuller Award. Deborah B. Prothrow-Stith, M.D., received the Solomon Carter Fuller Award, which honors a black citizen whose work has significantly benefited the quality of life for black people. Dr. Prothrow-Stith is associate dean for faculty development, director of the division of public health practice, and professor of public health practice at Harvard School of Public Health. She formerly was commissioner of public health for Massachusetts.

Guttmacher Award. The Manfred S. Guttmacher Award, which honors outstanding contributions to the literature of forensic psychiatry, was presented to Archie Brodsky, B.A., Thomas G. Gutheil, M.D., and Larry H. Strasburger, M.D., for their paper, "On Wearing Two Hats: Role Conflict in Serving as Both Psychotherapist and Expert Witness." The paper was published in the April 1997 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Public service award. State Representative Garnet Coleman (D.) of Texas received the Jacob K. Javits Public Service Award, which recognizes a public servant who has made a significant contribution to the cause of mentally ill persons. Representative Coleman was the author of the 1997 Texas Mental Illness Parity bill, which was unanimously passed and signed into law last June.

Adolf Meyer Award. Sir David Paul Goldberg, D.M., professor of psychiatry and director of research and development at the Institute of Psychiatry and director of medical education at the Maudsley Hospital in London, received the Adolf Meyer Award, which honors outstanding investigators from abroad and in the U.S. Dr. Goldberg designed the General Health Questionnaire, one of the most widely used screening questionnaires in the world.

Patient advocacy award. Arthur R. Miller, who is the Bruce Bromley professor of law at Harvard Law School, received the Award for Patient Advocacy. Professor Miller has done extensive work in the public interest on the right of privacy in the age of computers.

Pfister Award. Allen E. Bergin, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, received the Oskar Pfister Award for his contributions in the field of psychiatry and religion. Dr. Bergin is the author of A Spiritual Strategy for Counseling and Psycho therapy.

Benjamin Rush Award. Elizabeth Lunbeck, Ph.D., associate professor of history at Princeton University, was presented with the Benjamin Rush Award for her contributions to the history of psychiatry. Dr. Lunbeck is the author of The Psychiatric Persuasion: Knowledge, Gender, and Power in Modern America.

Kun-Po Soo Award. Robert O. Pasnau, M.D., assistant dean of the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine, received the Kun-Po Soo Award, which recognizes contributions to the understanding of Asian cultural heritage in areas relevant to psychiatry. Dr. Pasnau is a founding fellow and past-president of the Pacific Rim College of Psychiatrists.

Alexandra Symonds Award. Leah J. Dickstein, M.D., was the recipient of the Alexandra Symonds Award, which was established in 1997 to honor women psychiatrists' contributions and leadership in promoting women's health and the advancement of women. Dr. Dickstein is professor, associate chair for academic affairs, and director of the division of attitudinal and behavioral medicine and arts in medicine program in the department of psychiatry at the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

George Tarjan Award. Richard Balon, M.D., professor of psychiatry in the department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, received the George Tarjan Award, which honors an individual who has made significant contributions to the integration of international medical graduates into American psychiatry.

Vestermark Award. The Seymour D. Vestermark Award for Psychiatric Education was presented to James H. Shore, M.D. Dr. Shore is interim chancellor, professor, and chairman of the department of psychiatry at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and superintendent of Colorado Psychiatric Hospital.