The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), is pleased to announce that Michael Jellinek, M.D., is the recipient of the AACAP Irving Philips Award for Prevention.

Contact: Erin Baker, Communications Director
202.966.7300, Ext. 119
ebaker@aacap.org 

Adam Lowe, Communications Coordinator
202.966.7300, Ext. 154
alowe@aacap.org

Washington, D.C., September 24, 2008 – The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), is pleased to announce that Michael Jellinek, M.D., is the recipient of the AACAP Irving Philips Award for Prevention. The annual award is given to a child and adolescent psychiatrist who has made significant contributions to the field of prevention of mental illnesses in children and adolescents.

Dr. Jellinek was instrumental in the creation of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC), a psychosocial screen designed to facilitate the recognition of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral problems in children and adolescents so that appropriate interventions can be begun as early as possible.

Dr. Jellinek’s first work on the checklist was an effort to create a questionnaire that could identify children who would likely benefit from child psychiatric consultation. His collaboration with J. Michael Murphy, Ed.D., prompted the design of an outpatient screening tool that helps primary care physicians to determine which children need extra attention for psychosocial needs.

“We started designing an outpatient screening tool that would allow a primary care pediatrician to determine which children needed extra attention to their psychosocial needs. The PSC was validated against psychosocial dysfunction, not specific diagnoses, to be congruent with the pediatrician's view of development and their responsibility to provide comprehensive care,” said Dr. Jellinek in a written statement.

Currently the PSC is accepted as a primary care screening approach to meet Medicaid Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) requirements. It is used by many primary care offices and community clinics, and is being rolled out as a national mandated psychosocial screening tool for children entering first grade in Chile. The PSC is free and available on the Internet (http://psc.partners.org).

Dr. Jellinek will present, “The Development, Implementation, and Potential Medical and Educational Uses of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist” at Honors Presentation 5 on Thursday, October 30th at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers.

For more information on this award or to obtain a photograph of Dr. Jellinek, please contact Adam Lowe, AACAP Communications Coordinator, at 202.966.7300 x 154 or alowe@aacap.org.

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Representing over 7,500 child and adolescent psychiatrists nationwide, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is the leading authority on children's mental health. AACAP members actively research, diagnose, and treat psychiatric disorders affecting children, adolescents, and their families.