Howard Aizenstein, MD, PhD, Honored with American College of Psychiatrists Geriatric Research Award
We are delighted to announce that Howard Aizenstein, MD, PhD (Charles F. Reynolds III and Ellen G. Detlefsen Endowed Chair in Geriatric Psychiatry and Professor of Bioengineering and Clinical and Translational Science), has received the American College of Psychiatrists (ACP) 2023 Geriatric Research Award. The Award recognizes outstanding contributions to research in geriatric psychiatry.
An internationally recognized expert in the cognitive and affective neuroscience of aging, Dr. Aizenstein has made critical contributions to the field of geriatric psychiatry. His research has substantially increased our understanding of the brain mechanisms associated with geriatric depression, and improved prevention and treatment strategies.
Early in his career, Dr. Aizenstein defined some of the important questions regarding the interaction between depression and dementia. He then used his training in computational science to identify the neural pathways involved in implicit and explicit learning using both structural and functional magnetic resource imaging. Dr. Aizenstein developed new methods for neuroimaging analyses that have been used by other collaborators, and which continue to advance the field of neuroimaging research in geriatric psychiatry.
Dr. Aizenstein has additionally made tremendous contributions to training the next generation of scientists in the field. Since 2008, he has co-led the Department’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded Clinical and Translational Research Training in Geriatric Psychiatry T32 postdoctoral training program. He has mentored more than a dozen postdoctoral scholars, numerous early-career faculty members, medical and graduate students, and international visiting scholars.
“Throughout his career, Dr. Aizenstein has conducted innovative and internationally recognized research that has had tremendous impact on the field of geriatric psychiatry. In addition, he is a superb clinician and educator, which are invaluable complements to his research program and the field overall,” said David Lewis, MD (Chair, Department of Psychiatry).
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Aizenstein!