2003 Awards

IPA Recognizes Exceptional Contributions to the Field of Psychogeriatrics at the Eleventh International Congress in Chicago, 17 – 22 August 2003

The Luigi Amaducci Memorial Award

The Luigi Amaducci Memorial Award is a lifetime achievement award. It honors a living physician, researcher or clinician whose research in neuroscience, particularly in neurodegenerative disorders, has contributed to notable advancements that lead to a greater understanding of the therapeutic areas, the establishment of diagnostic criteria, and/or the development of a novel therapeutic strategy.

Robert Katzman, M.D., United States is the 2003 Luigi Amaducci Memorial Award winner. 

Dr. Katzman is currently Professor Emeritus of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego. He is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and completed his residency in Neurology at the Neurological Institute, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. He was on the faculty of the Department of Neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine from 1957 to 1984 and has been on the faculty of the Department of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego since 1984. He served as Chair of his departments at both institutions. He was on the Advisory Council of the National Institutes of Aging 1982 -1985 and President of the American Neurological Association in 1985-6. Dr. Katzman has worked on neurochemical, clinical-pathological and epidemiological aspects of Alzheimer Disease since the 1960's. He was a founder of the Alzheimer Association in 1980 and founding director of the Alzheimer Disease Research Center at UCSD in 1984. Dr. Katzman is the recipient of several awards; among them are the Henderson Memorial Award from the American Geriatric Association (1986), and the Potamkin Prize for Research in Alzheimer's Disease from the American Academy of Neurology (1992). 

2003 IPA Research Award Winners

The IPA Research Awards were conceived by Manfred Bergener, IPA’s first president. Barry Reisberg has chaired the Research Awards Committee and delivered these awards since 1989. In 1989, awardees included IPA’s current past-President, Alistair Burns and IPA’s current BPSD Task Force Chairman, Henry Brodaty. They continue to receive accolades for their research.

IPA’s Research Awards Competition continues to be very successful. IPA Board members and other scientific leaders devote their time and expertise to the rigorous review process for these awards. 

For 2003 the awards were presented to the recipients at the Eleventh International Congress held in Chicago 17 – 22 August 2003. The award recipients were:

First Place - Joella E. Storey, a Research Psychologist and Manager of the Dementia Advisory Service at Liverpool Hospital, Southwestern Sydney Area Health Service, Sydney, Australia. Dr. Storey developed the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS): A Multicultural Cognitive Assessment Scale.

A major problem in dementia research is the bias embodied in many of the most utilized dementia screening and assessment instruments. For example, the classical MMSE is heavily influenced by education, occupation, language and culture among other factors. Its use has resulted in startling findings of potentially great significance that may or may not, be true. Dr. Robert Katzman, IPA’s Amaducci Award winner, has reported that a lower level of education is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease from observations in a study in Shanghai, China. This finding has generally been replicated numerous times in diverse settings. Does it tell us something fundamental about the nature of AD? Or, is it simply an artifact of the bias in our assessment procedures? Until there are assessment instruments which are free of education and other cultural biases, we will be unable to answer these very fundamental questions.

The first place award winner, Dr. Joella Storey and her colleagues developed a dementia screening instrument which is apparently free of education, language, and gender biases. The development process of this instrument was exceedingly rigorous, with multiple iterations. The final instrument is brief and practical, and has been scientifically validated. It includes criteria such as remembering a four-item grocery list. For her innovative work and valuable contribution to the area of dementia assessment, Dr, Joella Storey is the First Place IPA Research Award winner. 

Second Place – Claudia K. Y. Lai, Hunghom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Dr. Claudia Lai is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her research is entitled, “A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Specific Reminiscence Approach to Promote the Well-Being of Nursing Home Residents with Dementia.” 
Prof. Lai has practiced nursing in Hong Kong, Canada, and England and worked as a volunteer nurse in India. Through rigorous investigation, her research highlights the effectiveness of a specific reminiscence therapy approach with nursing home residents with dementia.

Third Place – Yonas E. Geda, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota. Dr. Geda, a native of Ethiopia, is the first African to receive an IPA Research Award. His work is entitled “DeNovo Genesis of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).” Dr. Geda attended Haile Selassie University, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

Dr. Geda did his psychiatric residency and additional training in Neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, United States. Presently, Dr. Geda is a consultant Neuropsychiatrist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota. For many reasons, including potential prevention intervention strategies in treatment, there is a need to understand the antecedents of dementia. The condition, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is characterized by subtle but detectable clinical symptoms. It has been shown that MCI is frequently an antecedent of AD and other dementias. But loss of cognition has emotional consequences. The neuropsychiatric concomitants of MCI have been investigated by Dr. Geda and his associates.

The award winning research papers have been published in issues of International Psychogeriatrics.

2003 Award Winners (L to R): Barry Lebowitz, Joella E. Storey, 
Gene Cohen, Yonas E. Geda, Claudia K. Y. Lai

Service to the Field from the Congress Host Country

There were two recipients of the Service to the Field from the Congress Host Country: Gene Cohen, United States and Barry Lebowitz, United States. The award is given by IPA for major contributions from the Host Congress Country who have furthered the growth of mental health and aging issues in a comprehensive and far-reaching manner. 

Recognition Awards—Service to the Field of Psychogeriatrics

The recognition awards honors the healthcare professionals who have greatly contributed to the field of psychogeriatrics. The two 2003 awardees have made many contributions to psychogeriatrics even before it was recognized as a field. The two recipients of IPA’s Service to the field of Psychogeriatrics were: Ewald “Bud” Busse, United States and David Jolley, England, United Kingdom.

The Service Award to IPA

The Service Award to IPA was made to Ed Chiu, Australia, who has contributed unceasingly to the growth, development and activities of IPA. Dr. Chiu has been an IPA member since 1989. He was the Chairman of IPA’s Seventh International Congress held in Sydney, Australia in 1995. Previously, he has served as Chairman of the IPA Publications Committee.

Officers and members of the IPA Board of Directors and the IPA Secretariat congratulate all of the 2003 IPA awardees.