This award recognizes midcareer and senior clinicians and researchers who advance the mission of ADAA through significant service and commitment to the organization and its membership.
Congratulations to the award winners:
2019
Cindy J. Aaronson, MSW, PhD
Icahn School of Medicine
Dr. Aaronson’s clinical interests include panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression. Her research involves developing new types of treatment interventions for PTSD, depression, and interventions to encourage initiation of and adherence to hepatitis C medication treatment. Dr. Aaronson is an ADAA Clinical Fellow and has been an active member of ADAA since 2004.
Gordon Asmundson, PhD
University of Regina
Gordon J. G. Asmundson, PhD, is a Registered Doctoral Psychologist and Full Professor of Psychology at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada. He received his doctorate in Psychology from the University of Manitoba in 1991, completed postdoctoral training from 1991-1993 under supervision of Drs. Murray Stein and John Walker, and in 2005-2006 trained as a Beck Scholar at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research in Philadelphia. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Anxiety Disorders and Clinical Psychology Review and serves on the editorial boards for nine other journals, including ADAA’s Depression and Anxiety. His research and clinical interests are in assessment and basic mechanisms of fear, the anxiety and related disorders, and chronic pain, and the association of these with each other, maladaptive coping, and disability. Dr. Asmundson has published 325 peer-reviewed journal articles, 70 book chapters, and 8 books. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2009) and has received the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Donald O. Hebb Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Science of Psychology (2014), the CPA Traumatic Stress Section Award for Excellence in Psychology of Traumatic Stress (2018), the Canadian Pain Society Distinguished Career Award (2018), as well as a number of early career awards, including the inaugural ADAA Young Investigator Research Award (1998). He is a longstanding member of ADAA who proudly boasts having attended and contributed to the annual conference consistently for more than 25 years now.
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Charles B. Nemeroff, MD, PhD
Dell Medical School/The University of Texas at Austin
Charles B. Nemeroff is the Leonard M. Miller Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Clinical Director of the Center on Aging at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is past president of the American College of Psychiatrists and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. His research has focused on the neurobiology of mood and anxiety disorders with a focus on the long term consequences of child abuse and neglect and how these changes increase vulnerability for psychiatric disorders in adulthood. He has published more than 1000 research reports and reviews, and 15 books. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences (USA). Dr. Nemeroff is an ADAA Clinical Fellow.
Sanjay J. Mathew, MD
Baylor College of Medicine / Michael E. Debakey VA Medical Center
Sanjay J. Mathew, MD is the Marjorie Bintliff Johnson and Raleigh White Johnson, Jr. Vice Chair for Research and Professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine. He is also a staff psychiatrist at the Michael E. Debakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC) in Houston, Texas. He graduated from Dartmouth College and Baylor College of Medicine, and completed his psychiatric residency at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, where he also completed a NIH-funded research fellowship in affective and anxiety disorders. Dr. Mathew began his faculty career at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai where he co-founded and directed the Mood & Anxiety Disorders Program. In 2010, Dr. Mathew was recruited back to his hometown of Houston to direct Baylor’s Mood & Anxiety Disorders Program. His research program focuses on developing novel therapies for patients with serious, treatment-resistant mood and anxiety disorders and PTSD, with a particular focus on glutamate-modulating agents.
Dr. Mathew’s research program is funded by NIMH, Department of Veterans Affairs, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), and industry in the areas of experimental therapeutics and pathophysiology of treatment-resistant depression, suicide, and PTSD. He has authored or co-authored over 130 manuscripts and book chapters, and serves on the editorial board of several journals. He is a member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, board member of the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology, and was formerly Chair of the Program Committee for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. An active clinician, Dr. Mathew has been selected by his peers as a “Best Doctor” every year since 2011.
2018
Mark H. Pollack, MD
Grainger Professor and Chairman
Department of Psychiatry, Rush University Medical Center
Dr. Pollack’s areas of clinical and research interest include the acute and long-term course, pathophysiology, and treatment of patients with anxiety disorders and associated comorbidities, development of novel pharmacologic agents for mood and anxiety disorders, uses of combined cognitive-behavioral and pharmacologic therapies for treatment refractory patients, presentation and treatment of anxiety in the medical setting, and the pathophysiology and treatment of substance abuse. Dr. Pollack has been an ADAA member since 1991.
2017
Elizabeth DuPont Spencer, LCSW-C
DuPont Associates, PA
Ms. Dupont Spencer is a licensed clinical social worker and supervisor. Trained as a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, with a specialty in the anxiety and mood disorders, she has been in private practice for over twenty years, working with children, adolescents and adults. She is well known for her clinical work on special topics such as food phobia in children, and anxiety in emerging adults, focusing on the impact on both the individual and the family. For ten years Ms. Dupont Spencer was the co-owner of DuPont Clinical Research, a company that conducted FDA-approved clinical research studies on new medicines for anxiety and depression. She is a career-long member of both the National Association of Social Workers and of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, from which she received the 2012 Clinician Outreach Award. A graduate of Columbia University in New York City, and the University of Maryland at Baltimore's School of Social Work, Ms. Dupont Spencer completed her clinical training at the National Institutes of Health and the Catholic University of America. She is a popular speaker at community, national and international meetings and the co-author of two books, The Anxiety Cure and The Anxiety Cure for Kids.
Murray B Stein MD, MPH, FRCPC
University of California, San Diego
Murray B Stein MD, MPH, FRCPC is Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine & Public Health and Vice Chair for Clinical Research in Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Dr. Stein’s research interests include the epidemiology, neurobiology, and treatment of anxiety and traumatic stressor-related disorders especially social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. He has written or co-written over 500 peer-reviewed scientific articles on these topics, including in journals such as New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, JAMA, American Journal of Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, and JAMA Psychiatry. He is co-editor, with Martin Antony Ph.D., of the Oxford Handbook of Anxiety and Related Disorders (2009). His federally funded research has included studies of interventions for anxiety disorders in primary care, pharmacological approaches to treatment-resistant anxiety disorders, and functional neuroimaging and genomic research in anxiety and trauma-related disorders. He is Principal Investigator and Director of the Department of Defense-funded (2008-2016) INjury and TRaumatic STress (INTRuST) Consortium, which studies treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. He is also Co-Principal Investigator (with Robert Ursano MD) of Army STARRS, an NIMH-funded project (2009-2015) investigating risk factors for suicide and other deployment-related disorders; this project currently continues (2016-2019) as a longitudinal study (STARRS-LS). Dr. Stein has been an ADAA member since 1993 and is currently the editor-in-chief of ADAA's Depression and Anxiety Journal.
2016
Jerrold F. Rosenbaum, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Jerrold F. Rosenbaum, MD, is one of the world's foremost authorities on mood and anxiety disorders, with a special emphasis on pharmacotherapy of those conditions. Despite competing commitments, he has held numerous ADAA leadership since he joined in 1988. Jerry’s stabilizing leadership and guidance has helped support the organization’s continued growth. He has been a mentor and role model to countless clinicians and researchers, as well as a passionate advocate of evidenced-based practice dissemination to advance the care of anxious and depressed individuals.
Lynne Siqueland, PhD
Children's and Adult Center for OCD & Anxiety
A psychologist at the Children's and Adult Center for OCD & Anxiety and an active ADAA member since 2001, Lynne Siqueland, PhD, has been specializing in treating anxiety disorders in children and adolescents for more than 20 years. She was a founding chair of the Child and Adolescent Anxiety Special Interest Group (SIG), and she continues to contribute to the SIG’s online peer consultation. She regularly makes presentations for our growing professional webinar series, and she has recently joined the Public Education Committee.
2015
Kimberly Morrow, LCSW
Private Practice
Kimberly Morrow, LCSW, is the past chair of the ADAA Membership Committee and the Award Committee. She is dedicated to helping people who suffer with anxiety, and she is passionate about teaching professionals how to treat anxiety disorders successfully. Kimberly and two colleagues developed a video for ADAA to train master’s level graduate students on that topic, and the video is visible on our website. A member since 2000, Kimberly received an ADAA clinician outreach award in 2012.
Daniel S. Pine, MD
National Institute of Mental Health
A renowned expert on mood and anxiety disorders, Daniel S. Pine, MD, joined ADAA in 1996 after having received an early young investigator award. He chaired the Scientific Council in 2012–13, the conference in 2010, and the Scientific Research Symposium in 2005. Danny is also an editor of the ADAA publication The Primer on Anxiety Disorders: Translational Perspectives on Diagnosis and Treatment (Oxford University Press, 2015). Today he works as the Chief of the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience in the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Intramural Research Program.
2014
Robert Ackerman, MSW
Anxiety Disorders Treatment in Brooklyn
One of the original members of ADAA, Robert Ackerman, MSW, is a social worker in Brooklyn, New York. Bob has introduced several generations of attendees to ADAA. He created the Anxiety Disorders Rounds session over 15 years ago, and he still organizes experts to present cases at the conference. Bob’s longstanding active support of ADAA is exemplary.
Peter Roy-Byrne, MD
Editor in Chief, Journal Watch Psychiatry
Editor in Chief, UpToDate Psychiatry
Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry, University of Washington School of Medicine
Co-founder, Psychiatric Medicine Associates
Dr. Peter Roy-Byrne is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is recognized for his expertise in translating science to clinical practice and stays at the leading edge of research by editing three academically-oriented publications: Depression and Anxiety, Journal Watch Psychiatry, and UpToDate Psychiatry. From 1992-2011, he was Department Vice Chair and Chief of Psychiatry at the University's Harborview Medical Center, where he was a clinical expert and NIMH-funded researcher focusing on the evaluation and treatment of complex mood and anxiety disorders. His published and funded work has emphasized issues of co-morbidity, particularly the intersection of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and medical illness, as well as the value of cognitive-behavioral therapy, both alone and in combination with medication. He now devotes his time to his group psychiatric practice and editorial and forensic work.
Dr. Roy Byrne has been an ADAA member since 2002 and served as the ADAA Depression and Anxiety Journal Editor-in-Chief from 2008-2017. He has also served as a mentor and as conference chair in 2005.
2013
C. Alec Pollard, PhD
Saint Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute Anxiety Disorders Center
St. Louis University
A member of ADAA for 30 years, Alec Pollard has served in many vital capacities beyond providing excellent presentations at the annual conference. He has been on the Conference Committee and chaired the 2007 annual conference, which was held in St. Louis. He also served as chair of the Clinical Advisory Board and the Publications Committee. He was a member of the Strategic Planning Committee, and he has reviewed conference submissions. He encourages greater participation in ADAA by mentoring and welcoming many young members.
Risa Weisberg, PhD
Assistant Chief of Psychology, VA Boston Healthcare System
Training Director, VA Boston Healthcare System Clinical Psychology Internship Program
Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine
Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Adjunct Professor of Family Medicine, Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Dr. Weisberg has served on the Conference Committee, as the 2009 conference chair, and on the Strategic Planning Committee. She is currently the ADAA Board Treasurer. She has made a number of excellent presentations at the annual meetings, and she encourages many peers and young mental health professionals to join and participate in ADAA. Dr. Weisberg’s research and clinical interests center on primary care-behavioral health integration. She conducts research on means to implement evidence-based practice for common mental and behavioral health problems, including anxiety and depression, chronic pain, opiate misuse, HIV, and sexual health problems, in primary care practices and other medical settings. She is a committed mentor, assisting in the development of clinical research skills in psychology interns and postdoctoral fellows. Dr. Weisberg’s work across the domains of training, supervising, treating patients, and conducting research, is guided by her desire to increase dissemination and expand the reach of evidence-based behavioral treatments. Dr. Weisberg has been a member of ADAA since 2002.
2012
James Abelson, MD, PhD
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
An ADAA member for more than 20 years, Dr. Abelson has attended and presented at many conferences, along with his students. He has reviewed submissions and encouraged his students to attend and become ADAA members. He has served on the Scientific Council and chaired the 2008 Scientific Research Symposium Emotional Regulation and the Expanding Neurocircuitry of Anxiety.
Dr. Abelson works diligently on the Career Development Trainee Awards, in which he pairs trainees with mentors, as well as on the Donald Klein Early Career Investigator Award. He fully recognizes the importance of mentoring and the role of senior members in introducing and investing in the next generation.
2011
Naomi Simon, MD (Researcher)
Director, New York University Langone, Anxiety and Complicated Grief Program
Director, Center for Anxiety & Traumatic Stress Disorders
Chief Medical Officer, Home Base, Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Simon’s major clinical and research interests include optimizing initial and next step psychotherapy and medication treatments for anxiety and stress related disorders, and understanding the presentation and the biological impact of trauma, loss and anxiety disorders. She has served as a principal investigator or co-investigator on numerous studies aimed at improving our understanding and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and the syndrome of complicated grief. As Chief Medical Officer at Home Base, she guided development of a novel clinical care model and the Home Base Training Institute through a public private partnership with MGH and the Red Sox Foundation to address the unmet needs of returning veterans and their families impacted by deployment related stress, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury. Dr. Simon has been a member of ADAA since 2003 and is the Chair of the Scientific Council.
Karen Cassiday, PhD (Clinician)
ADAA Board President
Clinical Director and Owner, The Anxiety Treatment Center, Deerfield & Chicago, Illinois
Clinical Assistant Professor, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Sciences
Clinical Director for Rogers Behavioral Health Chicago
Dr. Cassiday’s areas of interest are anxiety disorders in children and teens, social anxiety disorder, treatment-refractory OCD, and working with children and teens who suffer from both developmental concerns and anxiety disorders.
Her research has focused on information processing in posttraumatic stress disorder and cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders in children, teens, and adults. Dr. Cassiday also leads training workshops on the assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders for mental health and medical professionals at national and international meetings. Dr. Cassiday has been an ADAA member since 1991.
