John S. Strauss, MD, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Yale, was presented with the Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award at a dinner ceremony in Atlanta on November 12.
The award, which originated in 2008, recognizes teachers and mentors who have inspired their former students to achieve greatness by creating an organization “which has demonstrably conferred a benefit on the community at large.”
The student who Strauss worked with to make a significant, lasting contribution was Larry Davidson, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry at Yale. The organization Davidson created was the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health (PRCH), a division of the Connecticut Mental Health Center.
PRCH, directed by Davidson, works to transform behavioral health programs, agencies, and systems to be culturally responsive and re-oriented to facilitating the recovery and social inclusion of the individuals, families, and communities they serve. It also promotes the recovery, self-determination, and inclusion of people experiencing psychiatric disability, addiction, and discrimination through focusing on their strengths and the valuable contributions they have to make to their communities.
Strauss has worked at Yale since 1977, conducting clinical research with people who suffer severe mental health disorders and researching effective treatments. He has written extensively about his studies, and in 2010 co-wrote the book “The Roots of the Recovery Movement in Psychiatry: Lessons Learned” with Davidson.
The Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award Trust was established under the will of Gail McKnight Beckman, who created the award in memory of her mother, Dr. Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman. Dr. Beckman was an educator, author, and pioneer in the field of psychology. She was one of the first female psychology professors at Columbia University, and she taught at the University of Pennsylvania.