Alan F. Schatzberg, MD, the Kenneth T. Norris, Jr. Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, has been awarded the 2025 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health from the National Academy of Medicine.
Schatzberg, the director of Stanford Medicine’s Mood Disorders Center, was recognized for his work in advancing knowledge regarding the biology and treatment of depressive disorders, with an emphasis on psychopharmacology. The award, which includes a medal and $20,000, will be presented at the academy’s annual meeting in Washington, DC, on Oct. 19.
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 has uncovered the antidepressant effects of ketamine through its mu opioid activity.
He also authored the Manual of Clinical Psychopharmacology, now in its 10th edition, which has been translated into more than 10 languages. For more than 30 years, he has led a National Institute of Mental Health-funded fellowship training program that has trained many leaders in the field.
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.
