Sarah Timm, CAE, CMP-HC

ACNP Executive Director

Please help us welcome the 26 new Associate Members and 31 new Members selected for 2024 membership at the 62nd Annual Meeting. We also congratulate the 23 Members who were promoted to Fellow status in the College.

New Associate Members

New Members

Members to Fellow Promotion

2024 New Associate Members

The College would like to highlight a few of the new 2024 Associate Member Class!

Stay tuned for the May, August and November Bulletins to meet our other new Associate Members.

William A. Carlezon, Jr., Ph.D.

President-Elect

C. Neill Epperson, M.D.

Council Member

Yasmin Hurd, Ph.D.

Council Member

2024 ACNP Council

Click here to see the complete list of our Council Members.

2023 Annual Meeting Photos



Photos from the 2023 Annual Meeting are available on the members' only section of the ACNP Website under

the Annual Meeting tab.

2023 Honorific Awards



The 2023 Honorific Awards were presented by Awards Committee chair, Dr. Carlos Zarate at the ACNP Annual Meeting. 

Click here to learn more about the 2023 Honorific Award winners and watch their acceptance videos!

2023 Annual Meeting Mentors

ACNP would like to thank the 2023 Annual Meeting Mentors.

Click here to see a list of Meeting Mentors!

2023 Career Development Session

Negotiation Strategies: Real World Advice to Advance Career Development

Karen Szumlinski, Career Development Committee Member

The Career Development Committee was pleased to organize its 13th Career Development Session at the 62nd Annual Meeting. To learn more about the session, click here!

The 11th annual Neuropsychopharmacology Editors’ Award for a Transformative Original Report (NEATOR), 6th annual Neuropsychopharmacology Editors’ Award for a Review (NEAR), and 5th annual Neuropsychopharmacology Editors’ Early Career Award (NEECA) were presented during the 62nd ACNP Annual Meeting.

Click here to read more about the 2023 NPP Award winners and watch their acceptance videos!

New NPP Editorial Interns

Haley A. Thorpe, M.Sc., Ph.D.

I am a postdoctoral fellow in the labs of Dr. Jibran Khokhar (Western University) and Dr. Sandra Sanchez-Roige (University of California San Diego) where I research the intersection of genetics, substance use, and psychopathology using large-scale human genomic techniques and animal models. I received my B.Sc. in Neuroscience from Dalhousie University, my M.Sc. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Guelph, and my Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Guelph.

My focus as one of the new NPP Editorial Interns will be on the impact of new social media initiatives on readership, and what strategies can be implemented to bolster community engagement with the journal. I will also be leading the Meet the Author interview series that promotes the research of early career investigators recently published in NPP.

Lucas R. Trambaiolli, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.

I am an Instructor in the lab of Dr. Suzanne Haber at McLean Hospital – Harvard Medical School. Previously, I received my B.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering in 2011 and my M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Cognition in 2014 and 2018, respectively, from the Federal University of ABC, Brazil. My research delineates neuroanatomical connections of the prefrontal cortex and limbic system in humans and nonhuman primates to identify new targets for fMRI neurofeedback modulation in clinical samples.

As one of the NPP Editorial Interns, I will explore the impact of the open-access publishing model in the geographical diversity of publications in the top journals in neuroscience and psychiatry.

NPP Reviewers

New Members and Associate Members who would like to be added to the reviewer pool for NPP should create a profile on the Springer Nature site at www.nature.com/npp. On your personal profile check yes to the query, "Do we have the permission to contact you by email regarding editorial matters (such as peerreviewing) or to help improve our services to authors and referees?" and your name will be added to the reviewer pool. Please contact the Journal, journal@acnp.org, with questions. 

The ACNP URM Near-Peer Mentorship Program is the College's newest initiative to promote and sustain diversity in the ACNP pathway; this program is designed to provide year-long one-on-one mentorship support from ACNP members to under-represented minorities who plan to enter or are early career scientists in research fields in and adjacent to neuropsychopharmacology. The program provides education on topics such as career skills, goal setting, negotiating, time management, starting a lab, negotiating positions, career life balance, and culturally responsive mentorship relationships. This is an intensive multi-year program that includes monthly virtual mentoring, monthly training workshops, and an annual in-person half-day mentorship program just prior to the 2024 ACNP Annual Meeting. The program will be managed by the ACNP URM Mentoring Task Force and the College, utilizing materials from the Center for the Improvement for Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER). The goal of the program is to optimize mentoring relationships by providing mentors and mentees with an intellectual framework for effective mentoring relationships, an opportunity to experiment with various methods, and a forum in which to solve mentor/mentee dilemmas with the help of their peers.

Click here to meet the 2024 URM Near-Peer Cohort! 

Thank you to the 2023 URM Near-Peer Cohort Mentors for a successful program!

ACNP annually selects distinguished young scientists in the field of neuropsychopharmacology to be part of our Travel Award program. These travel awards offer an opportunity to attend an outstanding scientific program in clinical and basic research on brain-behavior-drug interactions; become aware of the most recent, and often unpublished, advances in psychopharmacology; and meet and interact with internationally distinguished researchers and scientists. Visit the ACNP Website to learn more!

The Travel Award application supporting letters must be from an ACNP member only. Supporting letters from non-members will not be accepted. All categories of membership to include Associate Members, Members, Member Emeritus, Fellows and Fellow Emeritus will be allowed to nominate two persons for a travel award as long as at least one of the two award nominations is for an individual from a historically excluded group.

ACNP defines historically excluded groups as Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, and indviduals who identify as LGBTQIA2S+.

NEW THIS YEAR: Members will have to enter their supporting letter into a text field in the submission system, which is kept confidential from the travel award applicant.

We ask for your assistance in disseminating this information to your colleagues, institutions, and related organizations in an effort to prepare travel award applicants.

Travel Award Flyer (Full Version)

Travel Award Flyer (Overview Version)

Outreach Letter Template

The Travel Award application site is now open. The deadline to submit an application is April 18, 2024.

The College partnered with the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) to select up to four distinguished young scientists from the 2023 ACNP Travel Award class to participate in SfN's Annual Hill Day event. 2023 Travel Awardees were asked to submit a statement of interest in public service or advocacy, a statement of their experience volunteering in governmental education efforts, advocacy outreach or elections as well as an updated C/V for review by both the chairs of the Education and Training Committee and Liaison Committee.

This year, the committee chairs selected the following distinguished young scientists from the 2023 Travel Award class to participate in the virtual event starting with Hill Day training on March 5, 2024 followed by the full Hill Day(s) on March 12-14, 2024.

Allen Chen, Ph.D.

State University of New York at Stony Brook School of Medicine

Sergio Dominguez Lopez, Ph.D.

State University of New York at Buffalo

Aqilah McCane, Ph.D. Oregon National Primate Research Center/OHSU

Every year on the third Thursday in April, institutions and organizations around the world celebrate Biomedical Research Awareness Day (BRAD) through various events, including tabling events, classroom takeovers, and science trivia nights. This year, BRAD will be celebrated on Thursday April 18, 2024, and we hope you will consider joining us in celebrating BRAD at your institution.

Registration is now open, and all registered ACNP participants will receive a box of giveaways and educational materials for your event. We can work with you directly to help make it a success!

Please reach out to Drs. Logan France (logan@amprogress.org) and Lindsey Galbo-Thomma (galbothomma@uthscsa.edu) with any questions.

ACNP/BRAD Researcher Spotlight:

Dr. Zoe Donaldson

If you are interested in being spotlighted in future ACNP Bulletins,

please contact Dr. Galbo-Thomma (galbothomma@uthscsa.edu).

BRAD 2024 Webinar

The Importance of Animals in Addressing the Drug Abuse Crisis

The continuing opioid crisis despite the availability of variably effective medications underscores the need for more and better treatments. Because drug abuse is a complex problem, studies in animals are essential both for understanding the neurobiology of substance use disorders and for discovering and developing new medications for treating substance use disorders. Please join us as Dr. France discusses the importance of studies in nonhumans for addressing the opioid crisis, including examples of ongoing drug development programs that could not proceed without the contribution of animals. 

Dr. France is a Robert A Welch Distinguished University Chair in Chemistry and Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

The webinar will be live-streamed on April 18, 2024 from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET. A recording will be available shortly after the presentation for viewing, but you must be registered to access it.

How to apply to be the next ACNP/AMP BRAD Fellow: 

APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN!

Early-stage investigators and postdoctoral fellows are eligible for the ACNP/AMP BRAD Fellowship, an exciting opportunity to gain science communication and advocacy experience for the importance of animals in biomedical research! You can learn more about the Fellowship, including relevant deadlines and instructions for applying, on the BRAD website. Click here to view the application flyer.

Applications for the 2024-2025 ACNP/AMP-BRAD Fellowship are now open for early career scientists through June 1! Check out this video to learn more about the program, and please do not hesitate to reach out to Dr. Logan France (logan@amprogress.org) and current BRAD fellow Dr. Lindsey Galbo-Thomma (galbothomma@uthscsa.edu) with any questions.

Council approved in December the Diversity & Inclusion Committee's proposal to change the language from 'underrepresented minority' to 'historically excluded groups'. Council also approved the Diversity & Inclusion Commitee's proposal to expand the definition of historically excluded groups for Travel Award applications and new member nominations.

Historically Excluded Groups:

Individuals who identify as Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaksa Natives, or Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, and individuals who identify as LGBTQIA2S+.

NEW Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Logo

The new name of Gender Equity & Inclusion Committee (formerly known as the Women's Committee) was approved by Council during the annual meeting. The 2023 Women's Committee proposed to Council to change the name from the Women's Committee to the Gender Equity & Inclusion Committee and update the mission of the committee. The 2024 chairs are Jill Becker and Negar Fani.

Mission:

1) to advance gender equity and inclusion in College participation, including in membership, awards, sponsorship, and leadership;

2) to promote gender equity and inclusion in career development and in the development of leadership skills;

3) to educate members on allyship for gender equity and inclusion efforts within ACNP and the broader community;

4) to liaise and coordinate activities with the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. 

The vote on replacing the membership category term, Fellow, to Chartered Member did not receive a favorable response from two-thirds of members who voted and was not approved.

The vote on combining the Constitution, Rules, and Ethics Committee was approved. The 2024 chairs are Blair Simpson, David Steffens, Cheryl Corcoran, and Sanjay Mathew.

Negar Fani, Ph.D.

Dr. Fani is working on building a vampire bar in her basement called 'Drinkula'!

Jared Young, Ph.D.

I have always been, and remain, an avid reader of fantasy. I read my first when I was 9 and needless to say was stunned when I later discovered many came in trilogies! Having been in several book clubs, I love it when I get to recommend a fantasy series that I think are brilliant and my friends take them up and love them too. Getting to talk about the books with friends, their most poignant moments, and those things that make you laugh out loud, it’s priceless. If ever you’d like any recommendations I am always happy to suggest some and if you have favorites of your own, please don’t hesitate to share!

Jill Becker, Ph.D.

My husband and I have a singing duo, ‘Jill and Wolf’, and we perform at local restaurants and bars in Ann Arbor, MI area. We sing songs from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and even songs from this century as well as some of Wolf’s original songs, accompanied by Wolf on the guitar and harmonica. Search "Wolf B. Reuter" on YouTube for Wolf’s original songs (some featuring my vocals). 

Colleen McClung, Ph.D.

I went to the Taylor Swift concert with my daughter last summer and now I've become an absolute die-hard Swiftie. Happy to discuss any and all theories of when Reputation (Taylor's Version) will finally be released.  

Please send your Fun Fact to Erin Shaw, eshaw@acnp.org,

to be featured in a future Bulletin!

The American Brain Coalition, American Academy of Neurology,

American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, Center for BrainHealth,

and the Society for Neuroscience

in cooperation with

The Congressional Neuroscience Caucus

hosted a Congressional Briefing 

New Year’s Resolutions are Healthy for your Brain! 

on February 14, 2024

Thanks to ACNP Fellow, Helen Lavretsky, M.D., University of California, Los Angeles, for being one of the speakers!

The NIMH is interested in expanding the pool of scientists that we engage to review applications submitted to our Institute. We are especially interested in including scientists whose participation can help to enhance diverse perspectives on our review panels and who represent a range of mental health research expertise. If you are interested in being included in a directory that NIMH Scientific Review Officers reference when identifying potential reviewers, please submit an application at the following link: NIMH Peer Reviewer Registration (office.com). For more information about serving as a reviewer, you can visit: NIMH » Serving on a Peer Review Committee (nih.gov).

• April 18, 2024: Deadline to submit Travel Award applications
• May 7, 2024: Deadline for submission of overall proposals by chairs (Panels, Mini-Panels, & Study Groups)
• May 21, 2024: Deadline for submissions of individual presenter abstracts (Panels & Mini-Panels)
• May 21, 2024: Deadline for submission of disclosures by Study Group participants
• May 23, 2024: Deadline for chairs to review and finalize proposed sessions (Panels, Mini-Panels, & Study Groups)
• June 20, 2024: Deadline to submit Honorific Awards
• August 8, 2024: Deadline to submit Poster Abstracts
• September 8, 2024: Deadline to submit new Membership Nominations and Promotions
• December 8-11, 2024: ACNP 63rd Annual Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona

Upcoming Meetings:

To see a list of upcoming meetings in the field of neuropsychopharmacology, please click below:

Employment and Grant Opportunities:

To see a list of new employment and grant opportunities in the field of neuropsychopharmacology, please click below:

The American College of Psychiatrists

2024 Award Recipients

The awards were presented at the College's Annual Meeting in New Orleans on February 24, 2024. The awards recognize those mental health professionals responsible for advancing psychiatry through their service, research, clinical work, and educational activities.  

Congratulations to the following ACNP member winners!

• Fellow, Bradley Peterson, M.D. receives the Award for Leadership in Child, Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry
• Member, Eric Lenze, M.D. receives the Award for the Research in Geriatric Psychiatry
• Fellow, Hilary Blumberg, M.D. receives the Award for Research in Mood Disorders

For a full listing of the ACNP Staff in the Executive Office, click here.