IPA Member Recognition

IPA as an organization builds on the strengths, expertise, energy and accomplishments of its members. We are very pleased to develop an IPA Bulletin and IPA Online feature that brings these activities to broader attention. 

Congratulations to each for their accomplishments and honors. Please send yours, or those of your colleagues, to IPA at ipa@ipa-online.org.

These individuals were recognized in IPA Bulletin Volume 22, Number 1, February 2005

Carlos A. de Mendonça Lima (Brazil)
Prof. Carlos A. de Mendonça Lima, on the IPA Board of Directors, was recently elected as the new President of the European Association of Geriatric Psychiatrists (EAGP). Previously Director of World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Old Age Psychiatry, Prilly, Switzerland. He recently moved to a Brazil.

David Folks (United States)
Dr. Folks is Editor of IPA Bulletin, Maine General Medical Center, Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Services. Upon his departure from the University of Nebraska, he was appointed Emeritus Professor.

Sue Levkoff (United States)
Dr. Sue Levkoff is Director of the Positive Aging Resource Center (PARC). Through a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), PARC is offering elderly populations a unique on-line resource to help promote positive aging. PARC is based in Boston at Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry and Harvard Medical School’s Division on Aging, and collaborates with major national provider and consumer organizations serving the elderly. PARC launched a unique consumer education website, http://www.positiveaging.org, on July 1, 2004. For more information about PARC, use this link.

Kenneth Shulman (Canada)
Dr. Kenneth Shulman is at Sunnybrook & Women's College Sciences Health Centre. IPA Director, participated in a collaboration that has been established between Shang-Ying Tsai, Taipei and the University of Toronto. This is a pilot study of MRI brain studies of late onset bipolar disorder in older adults (60+). This study is based on preliminary data suggesting that late onset mania is associated with significant neurologic co-morbidity, especially cerebrovascular lesions affecting the right orbito-frontal circuit. Using a standardized protocol for scanning and computer software developed in Toronto we are able to analyze the MRI scans from both sites in a uniform way.

This collaboration developed as a result of their meeting in 2003 at the IPA Congress in Chicago and represents an important function of IPA -- i.e., to foster international collaboration. We hope that this pilot study funded by the Taiwan Ministry of Education may lead to a more ambitious multi-center study.

Elliott Stein (United States)
Dr. Elliott Stein is at the Center for Adult and Geriatric Psychiatry. Dr. Stein is a former IPA Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors, recently received the Distinguished Alumni Award, from the University of Miami, School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.

Guk-Hee Suh (South Korea)
Dr. Guk-Hee Suh is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea, has recently completed a 1-year sabbatical at Imperial College School of Medicine, London, United Kingdom. He spent the period of his sabbatical carrying out research into aspects of dementia. Additionally, he finished a mental health economics course and joined in the research project of mental health economics at London School of Economics, to extend applicability of psychogeriatrics.

These individuals will be recognized in IPA Bulletin Volume 22, Number 3, August 2005

David Ames (Australia)
Dr. David Ames, IPA Editor of the International Psychogeriatrics, has been appointed to the newly established Chair of Old Age Psychiatry at the Age Psychiatry Service at St. George's Hospital, succeeding Ed Chiu. He will bring his very special qualities and expertise to St. George's Hospital Age Psychiatry Service to address the programme established by Ed.

Heiko Braak (Germany)
Dr. Heiko Braak, was recognized with the Alois Alzheimer Award by the Hans-Juergen Moeller, MD, Chairman of the award committee, Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, for extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement within the field of Alzheimer research. Dr. Braak is emeritus professor and retired director of the anatomical institute of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt. The 20 000 US Dollar award is sponsored by the pharmaceutical company Merz (Frankfurt, Germany) and given by an international committee to scientists with outstanding contributions to the research on Alzheimer's disease. Previous recipients of this prestigious award created in 1995 include among other Dr. Allen Roses, Durham, USA, Bengt Winblad, Huddinge, Sweden, Christian Haas, Munich, Germany , and Kaj Blennow, Göteborg, Sweden. The award ceremony took place at the 100th anniversary of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University of Munich. Continued...

Henry Brodaty (Australia)
Prof. Henry Brodaty, Director of the Academic Department for Old Age Psychiatry, Prince of Wales Hospital, NSW, Australia, was awarded the honor of Officer of the Order of Australia for "service to the health and well-being of older people in the community, as a leader in dementia care through the Alzheimer’s Association both nationally and internationally, and to medicine through contributions to the specialty of old age psychiatry and academic and research knowledge in psychogeriatrics." Dr. Brodaty was a member of the IPA Board of Directors from 1994 to 2002.

Edmond Chiu (Australia)
Dr. Edmond Chiu, IPA Past President, has been awarded the Medal of Honor by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. RANZCP’s highest and most prestigious award, the Medal of Honor is presented for distinguished and meritorious service to the College. Prof. Chiu is the first old age psychiatrist to be accorded this honor. To ensure its prestige, the number of holders is limited to 15 living Fellows, or no more than one percent of the membership. The Medal of Honor was first presented at the 1989 College Congress and has been awarded only five times between 1988 and 1999.

Ed Chiu has "retired" from the substantive position of Professor/Director of the Aged Psychiatry Service at St. George's Hospital. He has an Honorary appointment of Professorial Fellow with title of Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne. He works at St. George's Hospital four days a week with 3 day weekends, totally free of administrative responsibilities, concentrating his energy in clinical work (especially in Huntington's disease and dementias), research, teaching, drug trials and consultancies. His work with Asia, especially China, will continue, as he is committed to the development of mental health services in the Region.

Dr. Chiu has recently accepted an invitation to serve as an International Advisor to the World Association of Cultural Psychiatry. The Association will be a non-profit, free-standing, international scientific and educational organization. The main purpose of the Association is to promote the exchange of scientific and educational information, the progress of international activity worldwide in the field of cultural psychiatry, and to improve culture-relevant care of patients of diversified cultural background.

Jeffrey L. Cummings (United States)
Dr. Jeffrey L. Cummings, Director of the UCLA Alzheimer’s Disease Center, is the 2005 recipient of the Edward Henderson Award and delivered the Henderson State-of-the-Art Lecture on Alzheimer’s Disease and the major current treatments at the American Geriatric Society Annual Meeting in May 2005.

Hugh Hendrie (United States)
Dr. Hugh Hendrie, who recently retired as Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Indiana University (USA), received the John W. Ryan Award for distinguished contributions to the university’s international programs and studies. He was honored for his research in psychiatric epidemiology and numerous collaborations with scientists and clinicians in Africa, Canada, China, England, and the United States. A notable example was formation, with the late Benjamin Osuntokun, of the Indianapolis-Ibadan (Nigeria) Dementia Project.

Robin Jacoby (England, United Kingdom)
Prof. Robin Jacoby, Professor in Old Age Psychiatry, University of Oxford, was appointed Chair of the Geneva Initiative on Psychiatry (GIP), commencing in Spring 2000. GIP is a non-government organization begun by academics and activists opposed to the abuse of psychiatry in the former Soviet Union (FSU). Over the last decade, GIP has dedicated itself to reform of all aspects of psychiatry in the FSU, raising money for specific projects and education. Although old age psychiatry is a very young specialty in these countries, the membership already includes some old age psychiatrists.

Claudia Lai (Hong Kong)
Prof. Claudia Lai is Assistant Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University was recently honored by The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, at their meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA with two awards. Adopting a Life Story Approach in Caring for Older People, has been selected as the 2004 recipient of the Research Dissemination Award, for the Society’s Region 1; and Improving the Quality of Life for Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: A Life Story Approach, has been selected as the 2004 recipient of the Research Dissertation Award, Region 1.

Barry D. Lebowitz (United States)
Dr. Bary Lebowitz, IPA member, formerly Chief, Geriatrics Research Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health, has accepted an appointment as professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Lebowitz’s activities will be mostly in geriatrics in the department and in the Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging where he will be working with Dilip Jeste and many other colleagues.

Susan Lieff (United States)
Dr. Susan Lieff received the Irma Bland Award for Excellence in Teaching Residents at the American Psychiatric Association Annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia on May 22, 2005. Selected by members of The American Psychiatric Association (APA) Council on Medical Education and Lifelong Learning, the award recognises faculty members for their outstanding and sustained contributions to the advancement of resident education in psychiatry.

Rose Nina (Dominican Republic)
Dra. Nina, Professor of Medicine and Psychology of the Latin American University (UNIBE), was recently elected President of the Sociedad Dominicana de Geriatría y Gerontología. Dra. Nina is also Treasurer of Colegio Dominicano de Neuropsicofarmacologia.

Gary Small (United States)
Dr. Gary Small, Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Director of the UCLA Center on Aging, and Director of the Imaging and Genetics Core of the UCLA Alzheimer’s Disease Center, has received the Zenith Award, given by the national (US) Alzheimer’s Association. The objective of the award is to provide major support for investigators who have contributed significantly to the field of Alzheimer’s disease research and who are likely to make substantial contributions in the future. Dr. Small also was the recipient of an IPA Research Award in Psychogeriatrics in 1993.