The annual commencement for the Department of Psychiatry’s Psychology Section, held on June 13th, served as an occasion to recognize faculty within the Section. Four members of the full-time and voluntary faculty were honored this year, including Drs. Samuel Ball, Cindy Crusto, Lisa Fucito, and Marc Hillbrand. Notes on the honorees and their awards appear below.
The Sidney J. Blatt Award
Samuel Ball, PhD
The highest honor bestowed by the Psychology Section is the Sidney J. Blatt Award. Dr. Blatt was the Chief of Psychology within the Department of Psychiatry for over 50 years and excelled as a clinician, educator, and scholar. He maintained an active practice of psychotherapy, trained hundreds of psychologists and physicians, and pursued an active course of empirical research on psychodynamic theories and interventions. The award given in his name is bestowed on a faculty psychologist who similarly has excelled in clinical care, teaching, and research.
This year’s honoree was Samuel Ball, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry; Assistant Chair for Education and Career Development; and President & CEO, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. Over the course of his career, Dr. Ball has blended his interests in clinical care and research, conducting numerous studies and publishing widely on the diagnosis and treatment individuals with substance use disorders and severe personality dysfunction. He has served as the Scientific Director of Yale’s Psychotherapy Development Research Center and as the Research Director of the APT Foundation. As the recipient of numerous federal grants, he has developed or evaluated many different treatments. In recognition of his achievements, he was appointed in 2013 as the President and Chief Executive Officer of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse in New York City, where he oversees the research agenda and works to shape national policy related to substance abuse, all while continuing as a professor at Yale.
As an educator Dr. Ball has served over his career as a supervisor, seminar instructor, training coordinator, research mentor, and advisor for pre- and postdoctoral psychology fellows, addiction psychiatry residents, graduate students, and junior faculty. Close to a decade ago he was appointed in our Department as the Assistant Chair for Education and Career Development. In this role he oversees the professional development, academic appointments, and promotions of several hundred faculty members, guiding them through the exceedingly complex and anxiety provoking process of striving for academic advancement in this institution, which expects the best.
Distinguished Faculty Award - Teacher
Cindy Crusto, PhD
Dr. Cindy Crusto is Associate Professor & Assistant Chair for Diversity in Psychiatry, and the Director of Program Evaluation and Child Trauma Research at The Consultation Center. Dr. Crusto received this year’s teaching award for her educational efforts on Diversity and Inclusion in the core seminar for doctoral fellows. Dr. Crusto’s calm demeanor and engaged presence as a teacher fosters dialogue rather than debate, and conversation rather than argument. Her coverage of such sensitive topics as privilege, microaggressions, implicit bias, social inequities, and intersectionality is thoughtful, respectful, and perceptive. Dr. Crusto is also dogged in her pursuit of that special video clip, image, or article that brings teaching material to life. Through dyadic and group discussions she encourages students to develop a shared, nuanced, and deeper understanding of diversity and inclusion, sometimes drawing on her scholarly work on trauma, exposure to violence, and program evaluation.
Distinguished Faculty Award - Supervisor
Lisa Fucito, PhD
Dr. Lisa Fucito is Associate Professor in Department of Psychiatry and the Director, of the Tobacco Treatment Service at Smilow Cancer Hospital. She received this year’s award as an outstanding supervisor for her work with fellows in Yale-New Haven Hospital’s Behavioral Medicine placement. Dr. Fucito’s fellows have valued her ability to effectively guide, support and empower them, facilitating their growth and development. They have benefitted from her focused clinical instruction that is grounded in theory and evidence and have appreciated her ability to motivate them to reach beyond their perceived limits. Dr. Fucito’s fellows have also viewed her as an outstanding female role model in this academic environment. She has displayed confidence, equanimity, strength, and respect for others and as she successfully navigated the complex world of academic medicine.
Distinguished Faculty Award - Voluntary Clinical Faculty
Marc Hillbrand, PhD
This year’s Voluntary Faculty award was presented to Dr. Marc Hillbrand for the clinical consultation, teaching, and supervision that he provides at CMHC, working with both supervisees and his faculty colleagues on the psychiatric inpatient unit. Dr. Hillbrand has a local and national reputation for his expertise in positive behavioral support, suicide risk management, and forensic assessment. Those that work with Dr. Hillbrand always note his immense knowledge of psychological practice, especially related to serious mental illness, and his capacity to share knowledge in a manner that brings out the strengths of his colleagues and trainees as he guides their professional development. Those that have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Hillbrand are always impressed with how fun it is, his humility, his capacity to hold hope and belief in recovery, and his passion for teaching and fostering the growth of others.