The Somerfeld-Ziskind Award from the Society of Biological Psychiatry offers an annual award of $ 5,000 for recognizing and honoring outstanding research in biological psychiatry. In 2021, it is Leah Mayo who will receive the award for best published research article in 2020 (published online in 2019).
- It is exciting to have our research highlighted by the Society of Biological Psychiatry because it acknowledges the clinical impact this work may have, says Leah Mayo.
The goal of the research is to improve clinical care for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A population that currently has limited treatment options.
- The paper that was recognized was a first step towards this goal, showing that a novel endocannabinoid drug can improve fear- and stress-related behaviors in healthy humans. We are currently following up on this by testing this compound in PTSD patients, says Leah.
Author of the highest rated paper
To decide the winner, the Somerfeld-Ziskind Award Committee selects one out of the fifteen highest ranked original investigations, among the archival reports in Biological Psychiatry, based upon peer review scores. The award committee members review each paper independently and the highest rated paper is considered the award paper. If there are two authors in shared first place, the prize will be divided equally between those authors. Which was the case for 2021 winners Leah Mayo and Gunes Sevinc, Harvard Medical School.
- While it is an honor to receive this award, this work is a huge team effort carried out together with my CSAN colleagues, as well as collaborators at the University of Calgary in Canada.
Also, the winner of the Young Investigator Award
The past year has been, to say the least, a successful year for Leah Mayo. In the fall she was announced the winner of the Young Investigator Award by the European Behavioral Pharmacology Society (EBPS). You can read an interview with Leah Mayo in the latest EBPS newsletter here.
Read more about Society of Biological Psychiatry and the Somerfeld-Ziskind Award here.
