Karl Rickels, MD, Stuart and Emily B.H. Mudd professor of Human Behavior and professor of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has received the 2012 "CINP Pioneers in Psychopharmacology Award" from the International College of Neuropsychopharmacology (CINP). Established in 2002 and given every two years, the awards honor three individuals worldwide who have made major contributions to the field.
Rickels, one of the Founding Members of the CINP in 1958, received the award for his groundbreaking work in the development of medications to treat anxiety disorders. Supported continuously by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) grants from 1959 to 2010, Rickels has contributed significantly to the development of anti-anxiety medications introduced into medicine since 1955. One of those grants was funded for 32 consecutive years - an NIMH record.
Rickels is co-director of the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Treatment and Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, and a Charter and Life Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). Rickels has written or edited ten books and authored or co-authored more than 590 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and reviews.
Rickels has served on advisory committees for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), including chairing the FDA-OTC Review Committee on over-the-counter daytime and nighttime sedatives and stimulants.
Rickels was recognized with a plaque at the CINP's 28th bi-annual meeting in Stockholm, Sweden in June. Also receiving the award this year are William Bunney, USA and Moussa B.H. Youdim, Israel. For a list of past winners, visit the CINP online.
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.