Charles Dike, MD, MPH, professor of psychiatry of the Yale Department of Psychiatry’s Law and Psychiatry Division, has been named the recipient of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and APA Foundation’s 2025 Chester M. Pierce Human Rights Award.
The award recognizes the extraordinary efforts of individuals to promote the human rights of populations with mental health needs by bringing attention to their work.
Established in 1990 to raise awareness of human rights abuses, the award was renamed in 2017 to honor Chester M. Pierce, MD (1927-2016) and recognize his dedication as an innovative researcher on humans in extreme environments; an advocate against disparities, stigma, and discrimination; and as a pioneer and visionary in global mental health.
The award includes a $5,000 honorarium and a plaque to be presented at the APA Annual Meeting, which will be held in Los Angeles on May 17-21, 2025.
Dike is immediate past president of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law and serves on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services National Advisory Council. He is medical director of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and past president of the Connecticut Psychiatric Society and past chair of the Ethics Committee of the American Psychiatric Association.
His interest areas include medical and psychiatric ethics, pathological lying, management of aggression, health systems administration, and forensic psychiatric consultations (civil and criminal).