Katharine "Kitty" Dukakis, MS, MSW, was presented with the Yale Department of Psychiatry's Research Advocacy Award at Neuroscience 2017: Paths to Recovery on April 22.
The 26th annual neuroscience symposium was held at Harkness Auditorium at Sterling Hall of Medicine. Presenting the award to Dukakis was John H. Krystal, MD, Robert L. McNeil, Jr. Professor of Neuroscience, and Chair of the Yale Department of Psychiatry.
Dukakis, the former First Lady of Massachusetts, was accompanied to New Haven by her husband, Michael S. Dukakis, former governor of Massachusetts and 1988 candidate for U.S. president.
Mrs. Dukakis has worked extensively on issues related to mental health, women's rights, human rights, and the arts. She has written two books, including "Shock: The Healing Power of Electroconvulsive Therapy," which tells the story of how ECT proved to be the one treatment that dealt effectively with her recurring cycles of depression. She has become a widely admired advocate for ECT.
The following faculty spoke at the conference:
- Philip Corlett, PhD: "Finding Beliefs in the Brain: Targeting Delusions and Hallucinations"
- Godfrey Pearlson, MD: "Identifying Subtypes of Psychotic Illness Using Biological Markers"
- Robert Ostroff, MD: "Neurostimulation Treatments for Mood Disorders"
- Gerard Sanacora, MD, PhD: "Ketamine and Other Rapidly Acting Antidepressants: Facts and Fantasy"
Also attending and making remarks were Marissa Walls, president of NAMI-CT; Charles Dike, MD, Medical Director, Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; and Michael D. Holmes, Senior Vice President, Operations & Chief Integration Officer, Yale New Haven Hospital.
Christopher Pittenger, MD, PhD, was the conference organizer.
To view videos of the conference speakers, including Mrs. Dukakis, click here.