Grantee Honors

Addiction Treatment Services (ATS) at Johns Hopkins Bayshore Medical Center which is run by Dr. Robert Brooner was awarded the 2007 Earnest Codman Award for Excellence in Behavioral Health by the Joint Commission. This award recognized programs which utilize outcome measurement as part of improving healthcare. The ATS was honored for Motivational Stepped Care developed by Dr. Brooner which uses an adaptive approach to continually monitor patient improvement and deterioration and then programs additional treatment accordingly. Initial research on this intervention indicates promise for dramatically reducing cocaine and opioid use.

Dr. Linda Caldwell of the Pennsylvania State University received the Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt Award for Excellence in Recreation and Park Research from the National Recreation and Park Association. This award is presented annually to an individual whose contributions to recreation and park research have significantly advanced the cause of the recreation movement, and whose dedication to the field parallels the same dedication and zeal that was exhibited by both Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt.

Dr. Richard Catalano has been awarded the 2007 August Vollmer Award by the American Society of Criminology. Established in 1959, the Vollmer Award recognizes a criminologist whose research scholarship has contributed to justice or to the treatment or prevention of criminal or delinquent behavior, either through a single outstanding work, a series of theoretical or research contributions, or the senior scholar's accumulated contributions.

Dr. Erik Gunderson received the 2007 Ambulatory Medicine Teacher of the Year Award from the Department of Medicine at Columbia University. The award was based in part on his development of a curriculum on recognition of prescription opioid use disorders and for involvement of medical residents in his clinical research on buprenorphine treatment of opioid dependence in primary care.

Dr. Thomas Kosten of Baylor College of Medicine was presented with the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry's Founders Award, at the organization's 2007 meeting in Coronado, California. This award recognizes Dr. Kosten's lifetime of commitment and contributions to the field of addiction.

Dr. David MacKinnon, Professor of Psychology in the Social and Quantitative psychology programs at Arizona State University was recently awarded the 2006-2007 Outstanding Graduate Mentor award from the Arizona State University Division of Graduate Studies.

On July 25th, 2007, Dr. Lisa Marsch (NDRI) appeared on the Fox News health forum, hosted by Dr. Manny Alvarez, to discuss youthful opiate addiction and her current intervention research which eeks to maximize successful treatment outcomes.

Dr. Barbara Mason was given The Pearson Family Chair, a newly endowed position in alcohol and addiction research at The Scripps Research Institute Dr. Mary M. McKay was recently promoted to Head of the Division of Mental Health Services Research at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Constance Weisner, Dr.PH., M.S.W., Northern California Division of Research - Kaiser Permanente, has received the prestigious Betty Ford award from the Association for Medical Education in Research in Substance Abuse (AMERSA) honoring her valuable contributions to the substance abuse field. AMERSA presents the Betty Ford Award annually to an individual who has played a significant role in the treatment and recovery of drug-dependent individuals, particularly women.

Dr. Rebecca Wells of the University of North Carolina received the Health Care Management Division, Academy of Management, 2007 annual national meeting Outstanding Reviewer award. She also received the 2006, John D. Thompson Young Investigator Award. This prize recognizes young investigators based on their contributions to the research literature in the field of health services. Dr. Wells has also been recognized recently by the Mental Health Section of the American Sociological Association for the Best Publication Award.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently awarded The Life Link Community Treatment Program (CTP) in Santa Fe, NM the inaugural Science to Service Award. This award recognizes exemplary implementation of evidence-based interventions to prevent and treat mental illnesses and substance abuse. The Life Link is a CTP in the Southwest Node. Drs. Carol Luna-Anderson, Raymond Anderson, and Michael DeBernardi of The Life Link made a formal presentation before the SAMHSA National Advisory Board on October 17, 2007 in Washington, D.C. and received the award. The Life Link was recognized for its pioneering and effective use of the Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) approach, developed at the University of New Mexico by Robert J. Meyers, Ph.D. CRAFT is a substance abuse treatment modality in which family members are engaged in treatment and taught how to better support the individual who is using alcohol or other drugs. The Life Link has employed CRAFT since 2000, and has assisted in its expansion at the national and international level.