The AACP established its Clinical Research Award in 1979, which is presented to the author of the best original research paper published in Annals of Clinical Psychiatry during the previous calendar year. The Award is presented at the AACP annual meeting and includes a cash prize, engraved award, complimentary one-year membership to the AACP, plus travel and accommodations to attend the annual meeting. The AACP’s Research Award Committee is responsible for making the selection.

2017 George Winokur Clinical Research Award

William Lawson, MD, PhD

Race differences in antipsychotic use among of Medicaid Patients with Schizophrenia

 

The American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists 2017 George Winokur Clinical Research Award has been awarded to William Lawson, MD, PhD, for research which was published in the November 2015 issue of Annals of Clinical Psychiatry. Dr. Lawson will be presented the award at the AACP annual meeting in Chicago, Friday, March 31, 2017. (for further conference information go to www.aacp.com.)

 

Dr. Lawson’s research article is titled “Racial differences in antipsychotic use: Claims database analysis of Medicaid-insured patients with schizophrenia” (Annals of Clinical Psychiatry. 2015;27(4):242-252).

 

Dr. Lawson’s conduced a database analysis that indicated that antipsychotic treatment of schizophrenia varies among racial groups. A Medicaid database of inpatient/outpatient medical claims and outpatient prescription claims covering more than 28 million enrollees in 11 geographically diverse states was analyzed. The primary outcome, racial differences in antipsychotic use in 2012, was examined in 5 multi-variable logistic regression models: (1) any antipsychotic, (2) first-generation (FG) long-acting injectables (LAIs), (3) FG oral antipsychotics, (4) second-generation (SG) LAIs, and (5) SG oral antipsychotics.

 

The article reported that odds ratios and adjusted predicted probabilities were comparable for any antipsychotic use between black and white patients. Black patients were less likely to receive SG oral antipsychotics (P < .001) and more likely to receive SG or FG LAIs (P = .001 and P < .001, respectively) and FG oral antipsychotics (P = .003) vs white patients. Further, black patients had a higher mean number of emergency room visits (P < .001) and a lower mean number of hospitalizations (P < .05) vs white patients; the mean number of physician visits was comparable. The authors concluded that disparities in antipsychotic use and healthcare utilization across race in patients with schizophrenia warrant further investigation and elimination of these disparities should be a national goal.

 

Dr. Lawson is Associate Dean for Health Disparities at the Dell Medical School and Director of Community Health Programs and Professor at Huston-Tillotson University, where he leads the Sandra Joy Anderson Community Health and Wellness Center. He is also University of Texas at Austin’s institutional representative for the Health Disparities Education, Awareness, Research and Training.

 

He received his BS in psychology from Howard University, an MA from the University of Virginia, and PhD in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire. He earned a medical degree from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago, completed residency at Stanford University and a fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health. He has held faculty positions at the University of Illinois, Urbana, University of California, Irvine, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Arkansas. He recently left after Howard University after 15 years as Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the National Medical Association.

 

Dr. Lawson has held numerous senior positions and received national recognition including Past President of Washington, DC chapter of Mental Health America, Past President of the Washington Psychiatric Society, past Chair of the Section of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of the National Medical Association, and past president of the Black Psychiatrists of America, received the American Psychiatric Foundation Award for Advancing Minority Mental Health, the 2014 Solomon Carter Fuller Award by the American Psychiatric Association, the Sigma XI the scientific honor society and Alpha Omega, the medical honor society, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Exemplary Psychiatrist Award, the Jeanne Spurlock Award from the American Psychiatric Association, and the E.Y. Williams Clinical Scholar of Distinction Award from the National Medical Association.

 

The AACP established its Clinical Research Award in 1979. Original unpublished papers were solicited in the Annals of Clinical Psychiatry. In 1992, the format was changed to include all original research papers published in the Annals of Clinical Psychiatry.
Winners are selected annually from original research published during the calendar year. The Awards are given at the next Academy conference and include a cash prize, engraved award, complimentary one year membership in AACP plus travel and accommodations to attend the conference. Judging is conducted by the Academy’s Research Award Committee and all decisions are final.

 

Winokur Research Award Committee Chairperson

Carol S. North, MD, MPE
Medical Director, The Altshuler Center for Education & Research, Metrocare Services
The Nancy and Ray L. Hunt Chair in Crisis Psychiatry and Professor of Psychiatry
Director, Division of Trauma & Disaster
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
6363 Forest Park Rd., Room BL6.226, Dallas, Texas 75390-8828, USA
214-648-5375
email:  carol.north@utsouthwestern.edu

Winokur Award Committee

Carol North, MD, Chair
Richard Balon, MD, Wayne State University
James Wilcox, MD, Tucson VAMC
Barbara Rohland, MD, Mayo Clinic

Please contact Beverly Davidson, AACP Executive Director, for further information at ClinicalPsychiatrists@gmail.com.

George Winokur Clinical Research Award Winners

Winners	Runners-up	Committee Chair
1979 David Kupfer, MD	Mark Gold, MD	Charles L. Rich, MD
1980 Larry E. Tune, MD	James R. Morrison, MD Robert E. Smith, MD	Louis Hafken, MD
1981 Hagop S. Akiskal, MD	Henry A. Nasrallah, MD	Louis Hafken, MD
1982 Sheldon H. Preskorn, MD	Larry Kirstein, MD	Louis Hafken, MD
1983 Ming T. Tsuang, MD, PhD	Gary Tollefson, MD, PhD	Louis Hafken, MD
1984 Elizabeth B. Weller, MD	Hector C. Fabelli, MD, PhD	Louis Hafken, MD
1985 Natraj Sitaram, MD	Matig Mavissakalian, MD	Louis Hafken, MD
1986 Dennis S. Charney, MD	Arnold L. Lieber, MD	Louis Hafken, MD
1987 Michael Liebowitz, MD	Harry E. Gwirtsman, MD	Louis Hafken, MD
1988 Ronald A. Weller, MD	Joyce G. Small, MD	Charles L. Rich, MD
1989 Conrad M. Swartz, MD	Timothy D. Brewerton, MD	Valerie F. Holmes, MD
1990 Conrad M. Swartz, MD		Valerie F. Holmes, MD
1991 Douglas Finestone, MD	Ira Glick, MD	Valerie F. Holmes, MD
1992 Roy T. Mathew, MD	Stephen C. Olsen, MD	Valerie F. Holmes, MD
1993 Elizabeth M. Smith, PhD		Valerie F. Holmes, MD
1994 Joesph Magliozzi, MD (co-winner) John Lauer, MD (co-winner)		Paul M. Packman, MD
1995 Laura Sanchez, MD		Paul M. Packman, MD
1996 Mary Fristad, PhD		Paul M. Packman, MD
1997 Danielle S. Schneider, MD		Donald W. Black, MD
1998 Donald W. Black, MD		Donald W. Black, MD
1999 Sidney Zisook, MD		Donald W. Black, MD
2000 Eric Lenze		Donald W. Black, MD
2001 Liviu Ichim MD		Donald W. Black, MD
2002 Paul J. Perry PhD		Donald W. Black, MD
2003 Betty Pfefferbaum, MD		Donald W. Black, MD
2004 (No Award Presented)
2005 Matig Massavikalian, MD		Carol S. North, MD
2006 Pinhas Nedim Dannon, MD		Carol S. North, MD
2007 Keith E. Isenberg, MD		Carol S. North, MD
2008 Ahsan Y. Khan, MD		Carol S. North, MD
2009 George I. Papakostas, MD		Carol S. North, MD
2010 Susan K. Schultz, MD
2011 Doreen Granpeesheh, PhD, BCBA-D		Carol S. North, MD
2012 Alina Suris, PhD, ABPP		Carol S. North, MD
2013 Donald Black, MD		Carol S. North, MD
2014 Boaz Levy, PhD		Carol S. North, MD
2015 Alina Suris		Carol S. North, MD
2016 Mark Zimmerman		Carol S. North, MD
2017 William Lawson, MD, PhD		Carol S. North, MD