Adam Mecca, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, has been awarded the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) Barry Lebowitz Early Career Scientist Award.
The award is presented by AAGP to the most promising early career scientist who demonstrates an outstanding academic track record in the field of geriatric mental health. Recipients are chosen by the AAGP Research Committee.
Recipients must hold an academic rank no higher than assistant professor and be an AAGP member. They must have publications in geriatric psychiatry in peer-reviewed journals and have presented research at national or international meetings.
Mecca is Associate Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit (ADRU) at Yale School of Medicine and Associate Director of the Clinical Core at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.
At the ADRU, Mecca collaborates with other scientists to conduct clinical research of potential therapies for Alzheimer’s disease. The team is developing neuroimaging methods to investigate the neurobiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Their recent efforts have led to a novel positron emission tomography imaging technique to measure decreases in the number of connections between nerve cells in people with Alzheimer’s disease. The goal of this work is to develop a clearer understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and new treatments.
Mecca completed a residency in psychiatry and a fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at Yale.