News

  • Alan F. Schatzberg Receives National Academy of Medicine’s Sarnat Prize for His Pioneering Research on the Biology and Treatment of Mood Disorders

    September 17, 2025

    The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) today announced that Alan F. Schatzberg is the recipient of the 2025 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health for his work advancing knowledge and treatment of depressive disorders, with an emphasis on psychopharmacology. The award, which recognizes Schatzberg’s achievements with a medal and $20,000, will be presented at the NAM Annual Meeting on Oct. 19. Schatzberg is the Kenneth T. Norris Jr. Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University and director of its Mood Disorders Center.

    Schatzberg’s research, teaching, and clinical treatment of major depression has influenced the practice of psychopharmacology and impacted the lives of millions of patients around the world. In addition to his research on major depressive disorder and hypercortisolism in psychotic depression, Schatzberg has contributed to the development of numerous depression treatments including a brain stimulation treatment for resistant depression and uncovered the antidepressant effects of ketamine through its mu opioid activity.

    Read the full press release from the National Academy of Medicine »

  • Dr. William Bunney Awarded UCI School of Medicine Lifetime Research Achievement Award

    Dr. William Bunney (UCI) was awarded the School of Medicine Lifetime Research Achievement Award (Clinical/Translational), University of California, Irvine. This award recognizes senior scientists who have made significant fundamental contributions to research with a lasting impact on their fields including academic accomplishments, original contributions to the literature, and significance of innovation to the field.

  • White House presents Huda Akil, Ph.D., with National Medal of Science

    October 24, 2023

    Presented by President Joe Biden, this prestigious award recognizes Dr. Akil’s outstanding contributions to the “physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, or social and behavioral sciences, in service to the Nation.”

    At the ceremony, Dr. Akil was praised for her dedication to advancing the field of neuroscience and her tireless efforts to help those with addiction and mental illness. Her work has led to breakthroughs in understanding how the brain works and has opened new avenues for treating these conditions. Her work also played a crucial role in combatting our nation’s opioid epidemic.

    Dr. Akil is currently the Gardner C. Quarton Distinguished University Professor of Neurosciences, an MNI research professor, and a professor of psychiatry. She has spent most of her career at U-M building a wide-ranging research program with her scientific partner and husband, Stanley Watson, M.D., Ph.D., the Ralph Waldo Gerard Professor of Neurosciences, an MNI research professor, and professor of psychiatry. Together, Drs. Akil and Watson led the Michigan Neuroscience Institute and its predecessor unit, the Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, for 26 years.

    Read the full article at Michigan Neuroscience Institute »

  • UCI School of Medicine Awarded $1.5 Million Suicide Prevention Grant

    Identification of blood-based biomarkers may predict risk to help save lives

    September 15, 2024

    The School of Medicine has received a three-year, $1.5 million Focus Grant from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to explore innovative approaches to identifying blood-based biomarkers that may predict suicide risk. “Utilizing cutting-edge machine learning techniques, the project will combine blood molecular data with clinical information from two key groups: individuals who have died by suicide and major depressive disorder patients who are being monitored for suicidal behavior,” said principal investigator Adolfo Sequeira, UC Irvine associate researcher in the Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior. The development of more accurate and effective tools for identifying specific molecular changes, such as gene activity and DNA chemical alteration that can serve as reliable indicators, could pave the way for more targeted and personalized treatment strategies.

  • Genetic “protection” against depression was no match for pandemic stress

    But other factors appear to predict psychological resilience in study of first-year college students, adding to options for identifying anyone who might need more support under stress

    December 16, 2023

    Living through a historic pandemic while handling the stress of the first year of college sent one-third of students in a new study into clinical depression. That’s double the percentage seen in previous years of the same study.

    And while certain genetic factors appeared to shield first-year students in pre-pandemic years from depression, even students with these protective factors found themselves developing symptoms in the pandemic years.

    In fact, much of the overall rise in student depression during the pandemic was among young women with this kind of “genetic resilience.”

    But the research has a silver lining.

    By studying these students’ experiences and backgrounds in depth and over time, scientists may have discovered a way to go beyond genetics to predict which students might be more or less vulnerable to stress-related depression.

    Read the full article at Michigan Neuroscience Institute »