U of M Professor Receives Honor from American Psychological Foundation

MINNEAPOLIS/ ST. PAUL (July 21, 2008) – A University of Minnesota psychologist has received a top honor for his research productivity in severe mental illness and for effectively training and developing young scientists.

Irving I. Gottesman, Ph.D., Bernstein Professor in Adult Psychiatry in the University of Minnesota Medical School and senior fellow in the department of psychology, has been chosen to receive the 2008 Alexander Gralnick Investigator Prize from the American Psychological Foundation (APF). He’ll receive $20,000 for research next month in Boston.

“There is no higher honor than being recognized by your peers for research you have dedicated your life to,” Gottesman said. “It is also an added bonus to receive this prize money from APF, when I would do my research for free.”

The award recognizes exceptional individuals who work in the area of serious mental illness, including but not limited to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and paranoia.  Recipients are selected based upon their record of significant research productivity in the area of mental illness, as well as their record of significant involvement in the training and development of younger investigators.

Gottesman’s clinical interests include the major mental disorders of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder – and the role that genetics factors play in them. He worked closely with twins without mental disabilities in the beginning of his career to understand the sources of differences in their personality traits, using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory – one of the most frequently used personality tests in mental health.

Gottesman has completed 51 years of research on psychopathology in the United States, United Kingdom, Denmark, and China, mentored 35 doctoral dissertations as well as a number of postdocs.

He is the past-Chair of the National Twin Register for the Institute of Medicine and also serves on their Board of the Medical Follow-up Agency, concerned with the health of our armed forces, and founded the Behavior Genetics Training Program in 1966 at the University of Minnesota.

The Academic Health Center is home to the University of Minnesota’s six health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes. Founded in 1851, the University is one of the oldest and largest land grant institutions in the country. The AHC prepares the new health professionals who improve the health of communities, discover and deliver new treatments and cures, and strengthen the health economy.

Contact:   Melissa Ritter, Academic Health Center, 612-624-4784 or ritt0114@umn.edu
Nick Hanson, Academic Health Center, 612-624-2449 or hans2853@umn.edu