The National Academy of Medicine today awarded the 2015 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health to Kay Redfield Jamison and Kenneth Kendler — the first time two separate nominees are receiving the award.
Kay Redfield Jamison, Dalio Family Professor in Mood Disorders at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Co-Director of the Hopkins Mood Disorders Center, was awarded the prize for her major insights into mood disorders and suicide, which she has communicated to both health professionals and the general public through her award-winning books.
Kenneth Kendler, Rachel Brown Banks Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, was awarded the prize for his research on the role of gene-environment interactions in the development of mental disorders.
“Dr. Jamison and Dr. Kendler have each made tremendous contributions to the field of mental health by increasing our understanding of the nature of mental illness and by reducing the stigma associated with it,” said NAM President Victor Dzau.
The prize, which is accompanied by a medal and $20,000, was presented to Jamison and Kendler at the National Academy of Medicine’s 45th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
