Advocate for the mentally ill backs young scientists

In January, the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD), the leading charity providing funds for research on psychiatric illness, announced that 10 School of Medicine scientists had won NARSAD Young Investigator awards. The awards—which provide up to $60,000 over two years to “the most promising young scientists conducting neurobiological research” relevant to understanding mental illnesses including schizophrenia, mood disorders, bipolar disorder, autism, and anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder—went to:

Jessica A. Cardin, Ph.D.
Assistant professor of neurobiology
Silvia Corbera, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral associate in psychiatry
Douglas J. Guarnieri, Ph.D.
Associate research scientist in psychiatry
Jason K. Johannesen, Ph.D.
Assistant professor of psychiatry
Roger J. Jou, M.D., M.P.H.
Clinical fellow in the Child Study Center
Janghoo Lim, Ph.D.
Assistant professor of genetics
Ruth Sharf, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral associate in psychiatry
Megan V. Smith, Dr.Ph., M.P.H.
Assistant professor of psychiatry
Bao-Zhu Yang, Ph.D.
Assistant professor of psychiatry
Lingjun Zuo, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate research scientist in psychiatry

In 2011, NARSAD will distribute $12.6 million in Young Investigator awards to 214 scientists around the world. Since 1987, the group has awarded more than $274 million in such grants, which can enable young scientists to pursue studies that will attract major grants from federal agencies or the private sector. On average, Young Investigators have gained sufficient leverage from their grants to raise 19 times the amount of their original NARSAD grant.