News Release

SOBP honors Stephanie Solso with 2017 Ziskind-Somerfeld Research Award

Grant and Award Announcement

Parthenon Management Group

We are pleased to announce that Stephanie Solso of the University of California, San Diego is the 2017 recipient of the Society of Biological Psychiatry (SOBP) Ziskind-Somerfeld Research Award. The SOBP presents the award each year for the most outstanding papers published in Biological Psychiatry. Solso received the award for her paper "Diffusion Tensor Imaging Provides Evidence of Possible Axonal Overconnectivity in Frontal Lobes in Autism Spectrum Disorder Toddlers."

The award will be presented to Solso on May 19, 2017 by Dr. Kerry Ressler, President of SOBP, during the 72nd Annual Meeting of the Society in San Diego, California. To recognize outstanding research investigations, Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry, selects the highest ranked papers to be considered for the Ziskind-Somerfeld Award, which are reviewed and scored independently by a separate award committee. The prestigious award comes with a cash prize of $5,000.

The paper for which Solso received the award, published in the April 2016 79(8) issue, examined the structure of brain connections in 1 to 4-year-old toddlers with autism spectrum disorder and with typical development. The study revealed abnormal early development and age-related changes in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder in brain regions involved in social, language, and behavioral control functions. The findings may help explain the altered brain functioning that impacts social and communication behaviors in the disorder.

Solso is a graduate of University of California San Diego with a BS in Cognitive Science, where she worked in the laboratory of Eric Courchesne, PhD, at the UCSD Autism Center of Excellence exploring the biological underpinnings of autism in children through the use of magnetic resonance imaging. She then went on to obtain a Masters of Nursing with a certification in pediatric nursing where she focuses on caring for children with physical and mental health issues.

A list of previous recipients of the Ziskind-Somerfeld Research Award can be found here.

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About the Society of Biological Psychiatry:

The Society of Biological Psychiatry was founded in l945 to encourage the study of the biological causes of and treatments for psychiatric disorders. Its continuing purpose is to promote excellence in scientific research and education in fields that investigate the nature, causes, mechanisms, and treatments of disorders of thought, emotion, or behavior.

To achieve its purpose, the Society creates venues for the exchange of scientific information that will foster the advancement of psychiatric neuroscience and therapeutics. To this end, the Society sponsors an annual meeting, maintains web-based resources, grants awards to distinguished clinical and basic researchers, and publishes the journal, Biological Psychiatry. The term "biological psychiatry" emphasizes the biological nature of behavior and its disorders and implies the use of the medical model; but in so doing, it encompasses other major elements of modern psychiatric medicine, including its humanitarian mission, psychological foundation, and socio-cultural orientation.

The vision of the Society of Biological Psychiatry is to be the leading professional organization in the integration, advancement, and promulgation of science relevant to psychiatric disorders, with the ultimate goal of reducing or preventing the suffering of those with these disorders. For more information, visit http://www.sobp.org or contact us at sobp@sobp.org or 904-953-2842.


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