Established in 1993, this prize was formerly known under the successive titles of the Selo Prize, Falcone Prize and Bipolar Mood Disorder Prize. The prize was renamed in 2012 in honor of the late Oliver D. Colvin, Jr., a great benefactor of the Foundation who left the largest single contribution in the Foundation’s history. This prize carries an award of $50,000 and the winner(s) is honored at the annual International Awards Dinner in New York City in October.
SELECTION COMMITTEE
- Robert M. Post, M.D. (Chair)
- Wade Berrettini, M.D., Ph.D.
- William E. Bunney, Jr., M.D.
- Frederick K. Goodwin, M.D.
- Robert M.A. Hirschfeld, M.D.
- Husseini K. Manji, M.D.
2016 Prizewinners
Francis J. McMahon, M.D.
Senior Investigator
Dr. McMahon’s research is aimed at discovering and characterizing genes involved in mood and anxiety disorders in order to develop better methods of diagnosis and treatment. For more than a decade, his work has focused on pharmacogenomics, including genetic studies of antidepressant outcome, lithium response, and treatment-resistant depression. Still in its early stages, pharmacogenomics underlies the increasing interest in personalized and precision medicine, promising to reduce trial and error in the selection of the most effective treatments, while minimizing adverse events.
Prizewinner Video:
Thomas G. Schulze, M.D.
Professor and Director, Institute of Psychiatric Phenomics and Genomics (IPPG)
Adjunct Faculty, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Associate Investigator Human Genetics Branch
Dr. Schulze’s research focuses on genotype-phenotype relationships in psychiatric disorders. He coordinates a German-wide center grant on longitudinal psychosis research and spearheads an international study on the genetic basis of response to lithium treatment in bipolar disorder, comprising several research groups from Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia. In addition, he and his team have embarked on population-based genetic studies in Ethiopia, focusing on the interplay of khat abuse (a plant that is used as a drug), trauma, and psychosis. Within the framework of a German government-funded, multi-site network, he is entrusted with the job of setting up a national federated biobanking and phenotyping platform.
Prizewinner Video: