Young Scientists Honored for their Extraordinary Contributions to Mental Health Research

Contact: Dianne Ackerman

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dianne Ackerman
E-mail: dackerman@bbrfoundation.org
Phone: (516) 829-0091

Young Scientists Honored for their Extraordinary Contributions to Mental Health Research

(GREAT NECK, N.Y. – JULY 13, 2011) Brain & Behavior Research Foundation will honor five outstanding researchers at the Annual Klerman and Freedman Awards event in New York City on July 29.

These Young Investigators are among the more than 3,300 scientists the
Foundation has supported with funding for mental health research. Since
1987, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation has awarded close to $300
million in over 4,000 NARSAD grants to scientists worldwide. The
Foundation is dedicated to finding the causes, improving treatments and
preventing the mental illnesses that affect an overwhelming one-in-four
people in the United States.

“The Young Investigator grants keep the field of mental health research
robust with innovative scientists,” said Benita Shobe, Brain &
Behavior Research Foundation President and CEO.  “We are proud to
support a new generation of researchers pioneering the way to
breakthroughs, unlocking the mysteries of mental illness, and helping to
relieve the suffering of those afflicted.”

The Klerman and Freedman Awards are given in honor of Drs. Gerald L.
Klerman and Daniel X. Freedman whose legacies as researchers, teachers,
physicians and administrators indelibly influenced neuropsychiatry and
continue to inspire scientists today.

The Young Investigators being honored:

2011 KLERMAN AWARDEE
Chadi A. Calarge, M.D., 2007 NARSAD Young Investigator of University of
Iowa, addressed the long term safety of the antipsychotic drug
risperidone in children and adolescents. Dr. Calarge has presented
results of this study at several major scientific meetings and has
several articles published in scientific journals. He has gone on to
receive an NIMH exploratory research grant and a K-Award on this
subject.

2011 FREEDMAN AWARDEE
Alexandre Bonnin, Ph.D., of the University of Southern California, showed the chemical
serotonin’s critical role within the brain during fetal development. His
studies have direct clinical implications because SSRI antidepressants
act on molecules that determine levels of serotonin in the brain. Dr.
Bonnin’s work is already changing the way we think about how the brain
develops in health and illness, and is a superb blend of technical
prowess, creativity, and hard work.

2011 KLERMAN AWARD HONORABLE MENTIONS
Brian M. D'Onofrio, Ph.D., of Indiana University
Jennifer S. Silk, Ph.D., of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic/University of Pittsburgh

2011 FREEDMAN AWARD HONORABLE MENTIONS
Andrew A. Pieper, M.D., Ph.D., of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Alberto Bacci, Ph.D., of European Brain Research Institute

The nation’s largest private funder of mental health research, Brain
& Behavior Research Foundation is committed to alleviating the
suffering of mental illness by awarding grants to innovative researchers
leading to advances and breakthroughs. First named NARSAD (an acronym
for National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression), the
Foundation funds scientists at every stage of their careers in every
major area of cutting-edge research for brain and behavior disorders.

Visit our website for more information: www.bbrfoundation.org

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