AACAP’s Marilyn B. Benoit, MD, Child Maltreatment Mentorship Award was made possible by a generous donation from K. Lisa Yang, MBA in honor of past AACAP president, Marilyn B. Benoit, MD. This award provides an opportunity for recipients and mentors to design a project over 12–16 weeks focusing on child welfare, foster care, and/or child maltreatment in order to raise awareness, recognize leaders, and create a community of knowledgeable teachers who will become leaders in these fields.  Below is a list of previous recipients and their mentors:

2025

• Recipient: Obaro “Tobi” Okopie, MD, MPH
• Mentor: Mary Margaret Gleason, MD
• Project: “Where the Kids Go: Care Utilization Patterns Among Children with a History of Trauma”

2024

• Recipient: Christelle Tan, MD
• Mentor: Mary Greiner, MD
• Project: “Mental Healthcare Access for Children with Child Welfare Involvement”

2023

• Recipient: Samantha Salem, MD
• Mentor: Denise Leung, MD
• Project: “Fostering Belonging: Creating Connectedness Through Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy”

2022

• Recipient: Rebecca Sturner, MD
• Mentor: Ruth Gerson, MD
• Project: “A Focus on Quality Care for the Most Vulnerable: Supporting and Evaluating the Identity and Acceptance Program for LGBTQIA+ Youth in Foster Care and Receiving Preventive Services through NY Foundling”

2021

• Recipient: Joshua Russell, MD
• Mentor: Terry Lee, MD
• Project: “Strengthening the Front Lines: A Child Welfare Program for Families and Multidisciplinary Professionals”

2020

• Recipient: Mitch Otu, MD, MBA
• Mentor: Elizabeth Lowenhaupt, MD
• Project: "Healthy Families, Healthy Children: Supporting a System of Care for Families with Children Affected by Maltreatment"

2019

• Recipient: Julianna M. Finelli, MD
• Mentor: Charles H. Zeanah, Jr, MD
• Project: “Building Systems Bridges to Enhance Effectiveness of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists Working With Maltreated Children”

2018

• Recipient: Wynne S. Morgan, MD
• Mentor: Christopher Bellonci, MD
• Project: “Reaching the Rainbow: Promoting Best Practices in Mental Health Care for Child Welfare Involved LGBTQ Youth”