Catherine D. DeAngelis, M.D., M.P.H, is the recipient of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Catcher in the Rye Humanitarian of the Year Award. Dr. DeAngelis is Editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and is credited with enforcing one of the most rigorous disclosure policies of any academic publication.

Dr. DeAngelis was chosen as AACAP's 2009 Catcher in the Rye Humanitarian of the Year because of her leadership on discussions of conflicts of interest in medicine. Her insistence that families receive unbiased treatment of the highest caliber parallels AACAP's mission. This comes at an ideal time as the AACAP has recently revised its Disclosure of Affiliations form and has newly created Guidelines on Conflict of Interest for Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists. Dr. DeAngelis was consulted in the creation of AACAP's Guidelines on Conflict of Interest for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Researchers.

"It is a tremendous honor for me to receive the AACAP Catcher in the Rye Humanitarian Award," said Dr. DeAngelis in a written statement. "I truly believe that we, as individuals and as countries, display who we really are by the way we treat our children."

"Dr. DeAngelis has demanded that the medical community reexamine and reflect on conflicts of interest to assure transparency and she continues to raise the bar on behalf of quality research being delivered to families," said AACAP President, Robert Hendren, D.O.

Dr. DeAngelis oversees JAMA as well as nine Archives publication and JAMA related Web site content. Before her appointment with JAMA, she was Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and Faculty, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and from 1994-2000, she was Editor of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. She is the first pediatrician and the first woman Editor in the JAMA's 116 year history.

The AACAP Catcher in the Rye Humanitarian of the Year Award is administered by the AACAP Executive Committee and was established to honor individuals who have a significant impact on the field of child and adolescent psychiatry and the children, adolescents, and families that they treat. The AACAP looks foremost for contributions that will make a significant difference and have a lasting impact.

Dr. DeAngelis will present, "Conflict of Interest in Medical Research: Facts and Friction," at the Karl Menninger, M.D. Plenary at the AACAP Annual Meeting in Chicago from 4:30 to 6:15 on October 29 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers.

Representing over 7,500 child and adolescent psychiatrists nationwide, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is the leading authority on children's mental health. AACAP members actively research, diagnose, and treat psychiatric disorders affecting children, adolescents, and their families

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry