The American Psychiatric Association's Awards f...

WASHINGTON, DC, May 6 /PRNewswire/ --

    - International Reach of 'Young Minds in Psychiatry' Awards is Boosted 
With AstraZeneca Support



    For the first time, a researcher from China has received one of the
American Psychiatric Association's (APA) prestigious "Young Minds in
Psychiatry" awards, which were presented today at the APA's 161st Annual
Meeting in Washington, DC. The awards, supported by an educational grant from
AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN), are helping to address the substantial shortage of
psychiatric researchers worldwide. By providing career development awards,
talented physicians get the chance to pursue a career in research. Beginning
this year, the number of unrestricted career development awards has been
increased from six to seven, with five awarded to international candidates
- this recognizes the unique challenges facing researchers outside North
America and Europe.



    Dr. Ma Yantao from Peking University in Beijing, the first Chinese award
winner, was selected for her proposal on treating Chinese adults for bipolar
spectrum disorders - she commented:



    "I am delighted to have been awarded this great honour, which confirms
international recognition of research excellence in China. Mental health is a
priority worldwide, and good healthcare is only possible with the
encouragement of careers in psychiatry and related research. As we prepare to
welcome many people to Beijing for the Olympics, today I appreciate my
welcome in Washington and this partnership of east and west in psychiatry."



    Darrel A. Regier, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the Division of Research at
the American Psychiatric Association, and Executive Director of the American
Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education (APIRE) said: "Young Minds
in Psychiatry is the APA's only truly international awards program. We
believe that the APA can be an important influence in supporting talented
psychiatric researchers both in the United States and throughout the world.
Our winners this year, coming from such diverse countries as China, Korea,
South Africa, Germany, France and the United States, will receive funding to
help them get their careers underway and hopefully encourage them to remain
in the field for the long term."



    All seven 'Young Minds in Psychiatry' awards were made to researchers
selected for the importance and value of their research proposal in bipolar
disorder or schizophrenia, both of which are severe mental illnesses.
Approximately one in 100 people develop schizophrenia during their lifetime,
and the prevalence is similar in men and women throughout the world. Bipolar
disorder has a lifetime prevalence of between 3 and 5% worldwide. People with
bipolar disorder experience episodes of mania and depression alongside
periods of normal mood, with symptoms ranging from trouble concentrating and
sleep disturbance to high-risk behavior and thoughts of suicide.



    "AstraZeneca is proud to be associated with the 'Young Minds in
Psychiatry' awards, and we were very pleased to support greater international
reach of the Young Minds awards this year," said Dr Hans Eriksson, Medical
Science Director, AstraZeneca. "The more researchers we can encourage to get
involved in psychiatric research, the more likely it is that we will see a
breakthrough in treating these devastating conditions. We join the APA in
congratulating the winners - wishing them good luck in their research, and
success in their pursuit of new ways to help patients."



    Dr Ma Yantao added: "I thank my hospital, the Institute of Mental Health,
my mentor Professor Yu Xin for his support and instruction, and my mentors
and partners at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr Maurizio Fava, Dr.
Jonathan Alpert and Dr. Albert Yeung. I must also acknowledge my husband,
Chinese avant-garde artist Wei Shen - his originality and creativity are my
inspiration both in art and in medicine."



    The 2007 Young Minds in Psychiatry Awards winners are Yantao Ma, M.D.,
China (bipolar disorder); Florian Daniel Zepf, M.D., Germany (bipolar
disorder); Brady G. Case, M.D., United States (bipolar disorder); Alfredo
Bellon, M.D., France (schizophrenia); Jung-Seok Choi, M.D., Republic of Korea
(schizophrenia); Renata Schoeman, MBChB MMed FCPsych, South Africa
(schizophrenia); Daniel H. Wolf, M.D., United States (schizophrenia).



    Biographical details about the winners, information on their research
proposals and other background information are available at:
http://www.psych.org/MainMenu/Research/ResearchTrainingandFunding/ResearchFel
lowships/APAAstraZenecaYoungMindsinPsychiatryInternationalAward/Youngminds.as
px



...and:

    http://www.psych.org/MainMenu/Research/ResearchTrainingandFunding/Researc
hFellowships/APAAstraZenecaYoungMindsinPsychiatryInternationalAward.aspx



    (Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste 
this hyperlink into your Internet browser's URL address field. Remove the 
space if one exists.)



ABOUT YOUNG MINDS IN PSYCHIATRY INTERNATIONAL AWARDS PROGRAM

    Young Minds in Psychiatry is an APA career development research
initiative sponsored by AstraZeneca that has been running since 2002, the
first award recipients received their awards during the APA annual meeting in
May 2003. To date, 31 young researchers have been awarded research grants.
The following distinguished, independent steering committee is responsible
for reviewing proposals and advising on those to be funded.




    
    United States Review Committee
    
    Nancy C. Andreasen, M.D.   Robert N. Golden        Stephen R. Marder,
    University of Iowa         M.D.                    M.D.
    Hospitals & Clinics        University of North     UCLA Neuropsychiatric
    Psychiatry                 Carolina at Chapel      Institute
                               Hill

    Jerrold F. Rosenbaum, M.D. Alan F. Schatzberg,     Charles Schulz, M.D.
    Massachusetts General      M.D.                    University of
    Hospital                   Stanford University     Minnesota Medical
                               School of Medicine      School






    
     International Review Committee
    
     Gerhard Heinze, M.D.      Valery N. Krasnov,     Michael Phillips, M.D.
     Instituto Nacional de     M.D.
     Psiquiatria Ramon de la   Moscow Research        Beijing Hui Long Guan
     Fuente                    Institute of           Hospital
                               Psychiatry

     Alan F. Schatzburg, M.D.  Stuart Yudofsky, M.D.
     Stanford University       Baylor College of
     School of Medicine        Medicine





ABOUT THE AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION

    The American Psychiatric Association is a national medical specialty
society whose more than 38,000 physician members specialize in diagnosis,
treatment, prevention and research of mental illnesses including substance
use disorders. Visit the APA at http://www.psych.org and
http://www.HealthyMinds.org



ABOUT ASTRAZENECA

    AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in
research, development, manufacturing and marketing of prescription
pharmaceuticals and supplier for healthcare services. AstraZeneca is one of
the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of US
$29.55 billion and is a leader in gastrointestinal, cardiovascular,
neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection product sales. AstraZeneca
is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the
FTSE4Good Index.



    For more information about AstraZeneca, please visit:
http://www.astrazeneca.com or http://www.astrazeneca-us.com



WASHINGTON, DC, May 6 /PRNewswire/ --