COM Dean Receives Top Psychiatry Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Colenda – Weinberg Award
May 4, 2004
Contact: John Holder (979) 458-0669
Office of Communications
The Texas A&M University System
Health Science Center
http://tamhsc.edu
Dean of College of Medicine Honored with Prestigious Jack Weinberg Memorial Award from American Psychiatric Association
Christopher C. Colenda, M.D., M.P.H., dean of The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center College of Medicine, has won the American Psychiatric Association (APA)’s Jack Weinberg Memorial Award for Geriatric Psychiatry. Dr. Colenda was presented with this prestigious award at the 2004 APA National Meeting in New York City on Monday, May 3.
The Jack Weinberg Memorial Award for Geriatric Psychiatry was established in 1983 to honor the late Jack Weinberg, M.D., past president of the APA and one of America’s leaders in mental health of the elderly. The award honors a psychiatrist who has demonstrated special leadership or who has done outstanding work in clinical practice, training, or research initiatives in geriatric psychiatry anywhere in the world. Candidates for the Weinberg Award must be psychiatrists who are nominated by a member of the APA, and the award is selected and confirmed by the APA’s Council on Aging.
In response to receiving this award, Dr. Colenda stated: “My peers have greatly honored me, and when I think of the individuals who have been previous recipients, I am humbled. They represent the best in American psychiatry and the specialty of geriatric psychiatry. I am thankful to have served patients who inspired me, to have contributed to the advancement of the field, and to have had the opportunity to collaborate with great colleagues. Most of all, my wife, Kathy, and my children, Meredith and Stephanie, deserve my grateful thanks, as they have been, and continue to be, my anchor.”
The fifth dean of the A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Dr. Colenda has in the past served as professor and chairman of the department of psychiatry at the College of Human Medicine, and associate dean for programs and projects, at Michigan State University. At the national level he has served as chair of the APA’s Council on Aging, and he is currently a member of the board and treasurer for the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. He has also served as a member of the Council of Healthcare Systems and Finance for the APA.
Late last year, Dr. Colenda was named as Virginia Commonwealth University’s 2003 Alumni Star in Medicine.
Dr. Colenda received his Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree in 1982 from Johns Hopkins University and his M.D. degree from the Medical College of Virginia in 1977. His training in psychiatry was completed at the University of Virginia Hospitals and at Emory University, where he served as chief resident and fellow.
The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center provides the state with health education, outreach and research. Its five components located in communities throughout Texas are Baylor College of Dentistry, the College of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Institute of Biosciences and Technology and the School of Rural Public Health.
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