Distinguished Member Awards
Deadline: Friday April 18, 2025
The availability of all awards is contingent upon the receipt of adequate funding.
AACAP George Tarjan, MD, Award for Contributions in Developmental Disabilities
This award recognizes a child and adolescent psychiatrist and Academy member who has made significant contributions in a lifetime career or single seminal work to the understanding or care of those with developmental disabilities. These contributions must have national and/or international stature and clearly demonstrate lasting effects. The contributions may be in areas of teaching, research, program development, direct clinical service, advocacy or administrative commitment. A cash prize of up to $1,000 will be awarded. Nomination letters must be accompanied by a CV for the individual nominated. The award winner will be recognized at a Distinguished Awards Luncheon and make an Honors Presentation about his or her work during AACAP’s Annual Meeting.
Please send a nomination letter, any supporting materials, and nominee's CV to the Co-Chairs of AACAP's Autism and Intellectual Disabilities Committee, c/o the AACAP Government Affairs and Clinical Practice Department to clinical@aacap.org.
AACAP Irving Philips, MD, Award for Prevention
This award recognizes a child and adolescent psychiatrist and AACAP member who has made significant contributions in a lifetime career or single seminal work to the prevention of mental illness in children and adolescents. These contributions must have national and/or international stature and clearly demonstrate lasting effects. The contributions may be in the areas of teaching, research, program development, direct clinical service, advocacy or administrative commitment. The award pays $2,500 to the winner and a $2,000 donation to a prevention program or center of the awardee's choice. Nomination letters must be accompanied by a CV for the individual nominated. The award winner will be recognized at a Distinguished Awards Luncheon and make an Honors Presentation about his or her work during AACAP’s Annual Meeting.
Please send nomination letter, any supporting materials, and nominee's CV to the Co-Chairs of AACAP’s Health Promotion and Prevention Committee, c/o the AACAP Department of Research, Grants, and Workforce at training@aacap.org.
This award recognizes outstanding achievements and significant contributions in a lifetime career to the advancement of the understanding of diversity and culture in children’s mental health, and to the recruitment into child and adolescent psychiatry from all cultures.
Jeanne Spurlock, MD, was a giant in child and adolescent psychiatry and in advocacy for children, adolescents and their families from all cultures. Dr. Spurlock co-chaired the AACAP's Work Group on Diversity and Culture from 1995 through 1999. Her commitment to recruit members from diverse cultures into child and adolescent psychiatry is legendary. AACAP created this lecture and award in her honor to recognize her work and encourage others to follow her example. The recipient will receive an honorarium supported by the Jeanne Spurlock, MD, Minority Fellowship Fund. The awardee will be recognized at the Distinguished Awards Luncheon and make an Honors Presentation about his or her work during AACAP’s Annual Meeting .
Please submit a completed nomination form, accompanied by a CV and any supporting materials to the attention of the Co-Chairs of AACAP's Diversity and Culture Committee, c/o AACAP’s Department of Research, Grants, and Workforce at training@aacap.org; if you have multiple nomination letters for a single individual, please send one electronic document.
AACAP Simon Wile, MD, Leadership in Consultation Award, supported by the Child Psychiatry Service at Massachusetts General Hospital
This award acknowledges outstanding leadership and continuous contributions in the field of consultation-liaison child and adolescent psychiatry. The $1,000 award is named after Simon Wile, MD, a renowned pediatrician and a life-long supporter of child and adolescent psychiatry. Nomination letters must be accompanied by a CV for the individual nominated. The awardee will be recognized at a Distinguished Awards Luncheon and make an Honors Presentation about his or her work during AACAP’s Annual Meeting.
Please send nomination letter, any supporting materials, and nominee’s CV to the attention of the Co-Chairs of AACAP's Collaborative & Integrated Care Committee, c/o the AACAP Clinical Practice Department to clinical@aacap.org.
AACAP Norbert and Charlotte Rieger Service Program Award for Excellence
This award recognizes a member of AACAP who has had a leadership role in the development and/or implementation of a community-based child and adolescent mental health program that uses a system of care approach that has broad systems level impact, is innovative in content or significance, and addresses prevention, screening, evaluation, and/or treatment of mental illness in children and adolescents. Programs shall be models for other communities, be replicable, and shall be culturally relevant and family-focused. This award of $4,500 is shared among the awardee and their service program.
Nomination letters must be accompanied by a CV and any support materials for the individual or organization nominated. The recipient will be recognized at a Distinguished Awards Luncheon and make an Honors Presentation about his or her work during AACAP’s Annual Meeting. Please send all supporting materials and nominee’s CV to the attention of the Co-Chairs of AACAP's Systems of Care Committee, c/o the AACAP Clinical Practice Department to clinical@aacap.org.
AACAP Sidney Berman, MD, Award for the School-Based Study and Treatment of Learning Disorders and Mental IIlness
This award recognizes an individual or program that has shown outstanding achievement in the school-based study or delivery of intervention for learning disorders and mental illness. A cash prize of $4,500 will be awarded. Nomination letters must be accompanied by a CV for the individual nominated and program information. The awardee will be recognized at a Distinguished Awards Luncheon and make an Honors Presentation about his or her work during AACAP’s Annual Meeting.
Please send nomination letter, any supporting materials, and nominee’s CV to the attention of the Co-Chairs of AACAP's Schools Committee, c/o the AACAP Clinical Practice Department to clinical@aacap.org.
For more information on the AACAP Journal Awards please visit our Journal Awards section.
*AACAP reserves the right to waive liabilities.