The Mental Health Section offers five annual awards.
Carl Taube Award for Lifetime Contribution to the Field of Mental Health Created in 1990 to honor Carl Taube for his major role in promoting mental health services and policy research and mental health economics. In his work at NIMH, Taube redesigned and used national reporting data to analyze trends in service utilization and financing. Nominations are solicited by the Awards Committee.
Recent honorees: David Takeuchi, PhD (2022); Lonnie Snowden, PhD (2021); Vickie M. Mays, PhD, MSPH (2020); Spero Manson, PhD (2019); Benjamin G. Druss, MD, MPH (2018); Kenneth B. Wells, MD, MPH (2017); Lisa Dixon, MD, MPH (2016); Kimberly E. Hoagwood, PhD, (2015).
Rema Lapouse Award for Achievement in Epidemiology, Mental Health and Applied Public Health Statistics Each year the Mental Health, Epidemiology and Applied Statistics in Public Health Sections jointly honor one individual to encourage them to follow the example of Dr. Rema Lapouse, who looked beyond contemporary explanations to understand and improve public mental health. Dr. Lapouse, a founding member of the MH Section, was a pioneer in her dedication to impacting public policy and the quality of care to promote public health and social justice. She studied pediatric psychiatric epidemiology in support of public mental health.
Nominations are solicited by the Rema Lapouse Awards Committee (Chair: Jim Anthony, PhD). Recent honorees: Sir Graham Thornicroft, FRC Psych F Med Sci (2022); Linda B. Cottler, PhD, MPH, RN, FACE (2021); Margarita Alegria, PhD (2020); Denise Bystryn Kandel, PhD (2019); James S. Jackson, PhD (2018); Kathleen R. Merikangas, PhD (2017); James C. Anthony, PhD (2016).
Kenneth Lutterman Award for Best Student Paper (self-nominated). The Kenneth Lutterman Student Paper Award was instituted in 2002 to honor the passionate commitment of Dr. Kenneth G Lutterman to developing rigorous social service research as the basis for building the evidence base for high-quality mental health programs and services.
Current students may self-nominate with an abstract submission to the Annual APHA Meeting. The committee invites full papers from the top abstracts and selects the awardee from those papers. Recent honorees: Danielle Adams, PhD (2022); Shawn A. Thomas, MPH (2021); Kecia L. Ellick, MS (2020); James Michael Brennan, MA (2019); Yunyu Xiao, M Phil (2018); Jenna van Draanen, PhD, MPH (2017); Betty-Shannon Prevatt, MPH (2016).
Steve Banks Award for Mentoring Award Steven Banks applied his statistical knowledge to everyday circumstances rather than to theoretical issues. Working as a colleague, he helped mental health researchers to improve the quality of their work, mentoring them in statistics, methodology and philosophy of science. This award remembers Steve Banks' contributions by honoring generous and collegial mentorship.
Nominations are solicited by the Steve Banks Award Committee. Recent honorees: Patrick Shrout, PhD (2022); Denise Juliano-Bult, MSW (2021); Mary M. McKay, PhD, MSW (2020); Margarita Alegria, PhD (2019); Enola Proctor, PhD, MSW (2018); Kathleen C. Thomas, PhD (2017); Roger A Boothroyd, PhD (2016).
Eric D. Bothwell Award in American Indian and Alaska Native Men’s Health Award and Eric D. Bothwell Student Award in American Indian and Alaska Native Men’s Health Award. The awards are co-sponsored by Men’s Health Caucus, American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Caucus, and Mental Health Section. These awards aim to continue the work Dr. Bothwell achieved in uncovering the existing health disparities of American Indian and Alaska Native men's health as well as promote new research in this field.
Mental Health Section Award recognizes significant and lasting contributions to the Section. Nominations are solicited from MH Section Leadership. Recent honorees: Crystal Brandow, PhD, and Alejandra Rivera, BS, (2022); MaryJane Alexander, PhD (2021); Wyatt E. Meriwether, PhD (2020); William Eaton, PhD (2019); Ron W. Manderscheid, PhD, David Shern, PhD & Margaret Walkover, MPH (2018); Frances Atkinson, MSM & Donna Wright (2017); Jenna Sandler, MPH (2016).
For leadership contact information, log into APHA LEAD using your member credentials.