Joel Gelernter, MD, Foundations Fund Professor of Psychiatry and professor of genetics and of neurobiology, is the twelfth recipient of the James B. Isaacson Award presented by the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism and the National Foundation for Prevention of Chemical Dependency Disease.
Gelernter is the director of the Department of Psychiatry's Division of Human Genetics. His research accomplishments are extensive and he is best known, not only for his definitive work using genome-wide association studies to identify genetic influences impacting the development of alcoholism, but also his pioneering work in development of analytic methods for genetic association analysis.
The James B. Isaacson Award, given every two years, honors outstanding and continued scientific contributions to the understanding of the etiology of alcohol and other drug addiction, with particular emphasis on genetic factors.
The award is international in its scope and Gelernter joins the ranks of world famous addiction researchers from five countries who have previously received the honor.