Chicago, IL, May 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CHICAGO (May 12, 2022) – The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), and its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) will honor three clinicians for their contributions to mental health research at the 2022 Klerman Awards ceremony. The event will be held 5:00 p.m. CDT, Sunday, May 22 at Generations Hall in New Orleans.
The Gerald L. Klerman Awards is the highest honor DBSA gives to members of the scientific community. Presented each year to winners selected by the SAB, the award recognizes researchers whose work expands knowledge of the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of depression and bipolar disorder.
Gerald L. Klerman was an educator, researcher, clinician, author, and administrator who specialized in depression, schizophrenia, panic, and other anxiety disorders. Klerman conducted the first clinical trial showing the efficacy of medication and psychotherapy in preventing recurrent depression and led the first large-scale, multi-site study to understand the diagnosis, course, and genetics of major depression. Jimmy Carter appointed him head of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration from 1977–1980.
“The Scientific Advisory Board is proud to recognize the breakthrough work being achieved by this year’s Klerman Awardees,” said Dr. Roger McIntyre, SAB Chair. “Their relentless pursuit of progress in mental health research ensures a brighter future of improved diagnosis and treatments for those living with depression and bipolar disorder.” This year, the Klerman Awards ceremony celebrates these outstanding achievers in mental health research:
Carlos A. Zarate, Jr., MD (Senior Investigator Award)
Dr. Zarate is Chief, Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). At NIMH, Dr. Zarate created a long-standing research program that, for over 20 years, has focused on developing novel therapeutics for adults with mood disorders, including those with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), bipolar disorder, and suicidal ideation. His work has been internationally recognized, most recently by his election to the National Academy of Sciences in 2020 and by his appointment as a National Institutes of Health Distinguished Investigator in 2019. Dr. Zarate has also long been dedicated to improving clinical outcomes in underserved populations of individuals with mood disorders.
Vikram Patel, MD, PhD (Senior Investigator Award)
Dr. Patel is the Pershing Square Professor of Global Health at the Harvard Medical School. His research as a psychiatrist over the past two decades has generated evidence on the burden and impact of mental disorders and on strategies to deploy community resources for their prevention and care. Dr. Patel’s work has focused on common mental health problems, in particular depression, but he’s also worked on a range of other mental health conditions across the life course, from autism to harmful drinking and psychoses. His earlier work showed that depression is a universal cause of human suffering, strongly associated with social disadvantage and deprivation, and leading to premature mortality, disability, and discrimination.
Emma Morton, PhD (Young Investigator Award)
Dr. Morton is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of British Columbia, and a member of the Collaborative RESearch Team to study psychosocial issues in bipolar disorder. Her research seeks to optimize the measurement and treatment of outcomes valued by patients living with mood disorders, with particular interest in the quality of life (QoL) of people living with bipolar disorder.
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance is a leading national organization focusing on mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder, which affect over 21 million Americans, account for over 50% of the nation’s suicides every year, and cost $23 billion in lost workdays and other workplace losses. Through its extensive online and print resources and nearly 400 support groups, DBSA reaches millions of people each year with in-person and online peer support.
# # #
