Benjamin Handen, PhD, Receives American Psychological Association Division 33 Edgar A. Doll Award

Please join us in congratulating Benjamin Handen, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry), who has received the 2023 American Psychological Association (APA) Division 33 Edgar A. Doll Award. Division 33 of the APA is dedicated to advancing psychological research, professional education, and clinical services that increase quality of life in individuals with intellectual & developmental disabilities/autism spectrum disorder across the lifespan. The Edgar A. Doll Award is a career award that honors an individual for their substantial contributions to the understanding of intellectual & developmental disabilities/autism spectrum disorder throughout their career.

Dr. Handen is an internationally recognized leader in the study of autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. His early work focused on investigating the safety and efficacy of stimulant medication to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children with intellectual disability. He subsequently progressed to conducting psychopharmacological research in the autism population, and has shaped how autism is treated in terms of both psychopharmacology and psychosocial intervention. 

Dr. Handen’s focus on autism and intellectual disabilities includes comorbid Alzheimer’s disease, and he currently leads a National Institute on Aging U19 grant investigating biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease in adults with Down syndrome. Dr. Handen’s additional funding includes grants from Autism Speaks and the Health Resources and Services Administration to serve as the University of Pittsburgh site PI site for the multicenter Autism Care Network. He additionally co-leads the clinical core of a National Institute of Mental Health Autism Center of Excellence (P50) grant, “Mental Health in Autistic Adults: An RDoC Approach.”

“Dr. Handen is recognized nationally and internationally as an outstanding scientist in the field of autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities,” said David Lewis, MD (Chair, Department of Psychiatry). “The Edgar A. Doll Award is a well-deserved recognition of his career achievements conducting influential research.”