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Psychiatrist Herbert Pardes, M.D., last month added a prestigious award to the extensive list of honors he has garnered during his career. On October 21 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) presented Pardes with its 1997 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat Prize in recognition of more than a quarter century of significant contributions he has made to mental health in the fields of research, treatment, advocacy, and policymaking.
Currently vice president for health sciences, dean of the faculty of medicine, and chair of the psychiatry department at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, Pardes is a former president of APA and was director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.
Focusing on his accomplishments in the field of psychiatric research, the IOM pointed out that during his tenure as chair of the psychiatry department at the University of Colorado in the early 1970’s, "Pardes built effective programs in biological, psychological, child, and developmental research." It also highlighted his work at NIMH, where "he developed the first neuroscience branch that emphasized research on psychiatric disorders; expanded support for research; and helped to increase the level of reimbursement for mental health services."
His research accomplishments continued at Columbia, the IOM noted, where he "built one of the world’s leading research programs in genetics and psychiatric disorders, schizophrenia, and child psychiatric and geriatric disorders."
His award also is based on his years of leadership in building alliances between professional and patient and advocacy organizations committed to improving the state of mental illness treatment and research.
The Sarnat Prize, which comes with a medal and a $15,000 cash award, is named for and funded by Rhoda Sarnat, a clinical social worker in Los Angeles, and her husband, Bernard Sarnat, a plastic surgeon. They established the prize in 1992 after both witnessed in their professional careers the devastating effects of mental illnesses on the people they treated.
The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to mental health in research, clinical services, or public policy development and is open to nominees in the fields of psychiatry, neuroscience, psychology, social work, public health, nursing, and advocacy.
The IOM’s Board on Neurosciences and Behavioral Health, located in Washington, D.C., evaluates nominees and selects the winner each year.
Recent recipients of the Sarnat Prize include the late Gerald Klerman, M.D., and Myrna Weissman, Ph.D., of Columbia University; Samuel Guze, M.D., of Washington University in St. Louis; and Leon Eisenberg, M.D., of Harvard Medical School.
The IOM is a Congressionally chartered organization that advises the National Academy of Sciences on health policy issues.