WASHINGTON — 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.
Schatzberg is an influential teacher of biological psychiatry and psychopharmacology. He authored the Manual of Clinical Psychopharmacology, now in its 10th edition and translated into more than 10 languages. As part of his commitment to educating the next generation of researchers and clinicians, he has led for over 30 years a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) funded fellowship training program and co-led for 20 years an NIMH career development institute that have trained more than 90 translational researchers and more than 300 fellows and junior faculty, respectively.
Schatzberg has held several leadership roles in the field of academic and clinical psychiatry, serving as president of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, the American Psychiatric Association, and the Society of Biological Psychiatry. His research and career have been recognized with numerous awards, including from the American Psychiatric Association, American College of Psychiatrists, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, Weill Cornell Medical College, the University of Pennsylvania, Medical University of Vienna, the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, the Anna Monika Foundation, and New York University, among others. The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology recognized Schatzberg’s work mentoring young scientists in the field with the Julius Axelrod Mentorship Award. Schatzberg was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2003.
“Few researchers have contributed as broadly to the field of mental health as Alan Schatzberg, from developing new clinical treatments that improve patients’ lives to advancing our fundamental understanding of depressive disorders,” said NAM president Victor J. Dzau. “Dr. Schatzberg represents the ideal of researcher-educator, directly mentoring numerous researchers and authoring a definitive textbook essential in training clinicians worldwide.”
Since 1992, the Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health has been presented to individuals, groups, or organizations that have demonstrated outstanding achievement in improving mental health. The prize recognizes — without regard for professional discipline or nationality — achievements in basic science, clinical application, and public policy that have led to progress in the understanding, etiology, prevention, treatment, or cure of mental disorders, or to the promotion of mental health. As defined by the nominating criteria, the field of mental health encompasses neuroscience, psychology, social work, nursing, psychiatry, and advocacy.
The award is supported by an endowment created by Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat of Los Angeles. Rhoda Sarnat was a licensed clinical social worker, and Bernard Sarnat was a plastic and reconstructive surgeon and researcher. The Sarnats’ concern about the destructive effects of mental illness inspired them to establish the award. This year’s selection committee was chaired by Michelle Monje, Milan Gambhir Professor of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology and Professor, by courtesy, of neurosurgery, of pediatrics, of pathology and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Stanford Medicine
The National Academy of Medicine, established in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, is an independent organization of eminent professionals from diverse fields including health and medicine; the natural, social, and behavioral sciences; and beyond. It serves alongside the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering as an adviser to the nation and the international community. Through its domestic and global initiatives, the NAM works to address critical issues in health, medicine, and related policy and inspire positive action across sectors. The NAM collaborates closely with its peer academies and other divisions within the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
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