Washington, DC, October 19, 2017 – The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is pleased to announce James C. Harris, MD, as the recipient of AACAP's 2017 Catchers in the Rye Award to an Individual. The award recognizes Dr. Harris for being a steadfast advocate who has worked tirelessly on behalf of children, adolescents, and their families.

Dr. Harris is the founding director of the Developmental Neuropsychiatry Program at Johns Hopkins University and the Kennedy Krieger Institute, and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University. His award-winning DNP textbook and intellectual disability (ID) books are standard texts for child psychiatrists.

His advocacy for people with developmental disabilities was stimulated during his residency, when bioethical issues arose in denying surgery for a child with Down syndrome as memorialized in the film Who Should Survive?

AACAP's Catchers in the Rye Awards were named after J.D. Salinger's classic novel. They are administered by AACAP's Assembly and recognize an individual for outstanding advocacy efforts on behalf of children and adolescents. AACAP's Catchers in the Rye Awards are our most prestigious awards.

Dr. Harris will be recognized at AACAP's 64th Annual Meeting during the Karl Menninger, MD, Plenary on October 25, 2017, in Washington, DC.

For more information on this award, please contact Samantha Phillips, Communications Coordinator, at sphillips@aacap.org.

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Representing 9,200+ 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. For more information please visit www.aacap.org.