Young Scientists Honored for their Extraordinary Contributions to Mental Health Research

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

“The Young Investigator grants keep the field of mental health research robust with innovative scientists”

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 Vanderbilt University, 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