Institute of Medicine Honors Husband-Wife Team

A husband-and-wife team who have conducted ground-breaking mental health research over the past 50 years were among several scientists to win awards today for outstanding achievement, according to news from the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine.

Beatrix A. Hamburg and David A. Hamburg were awarded the Institute's 2007 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnet International Award in Mental Health. The couple are both DeWitt Wallace Distinguished Scholars in the department of psychiatry at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and co-directors of the social medicine and public policy program.

"Throughout their careers, Betty and David Hamburg have been passionate advocates for those who bear tremendous burdens," said Harvey V. Fineberg, president of the Institute of Medicine. "They complement each other professionally and personally, and it is fitting to honor them jointly for their lasting impact on the mental health of individuals and of societies."

Fifty years ago, the Hamburgs co-authored a study on how people handle profound changes in their lives, a work that is still held up as a "classic" in medical literature. In 2004, they completed a highly praised study on "Learning to Live Together: Preventing Hatred and Violence in Child and Adolescent Development." And David Hamburg recently wrote a book that built on that previous research; the work, "Preventing Genocide," included a foreword by Holocaust survivor and activist Elie Wiesel.

The Institute of Medicine today also awarded its 2007 Gustav O. Lienhard Award to Howard H. Hiatt, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and senior physician at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. That award recognizes Hiatt's work to improve the performance of personal health services both in the U.S. and globally.

Among Hiatt's achievements was his development of the Harvard Medical Practice Study, which the medical community has called the most important investigation of medical malpractice in history. He has also played a significant role in the success of Partners in Health, a Harvard-affiliated non-profit that has helped bring treatment for HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) and multiple-drug-resistant tuberculosis to countries such as Haiti, Lesotho, Malawi, Peru, Russia and Rwanda.

The Institute of Medicine's awards, presented at its 37th annual meeting, also recognized three members -- Jack Barchas, Karen Davis, and William C. Richardson -- for outstanding service to the Institute.

Established in 1970, the Institute of Medicine was created to provide "independent, objective, evidence-based advice to policymakers, health professionals, the private sector, and the public." The Institute is based in Washington, D.C.

The National Academies, "Husband and Wife Team Win Institute of Medicine's 2007 Sarnat International Award in Mental Health." URL: (http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=10082007C)