International Association for Suicide Prevention: Awards
The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) provides awards for those who have contributed in a significant way to the furthering of the aims of the Association. Awards are presented at the IASP biennial conference.
Please click here to download the IASP Awards information sheet in PDF Format that details the four awards available.
The Stengel Research Award
| Year | Recipient | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | R Diekstra | The Netherlands |
| 1979 | M Boldt | Canada |
| 1981 | J P Soubrier | France |
| 1983 | J Lonnqvist | Finland |
| 1985 | G Sonneck/J Beskow | Austria/Sweden |
| 1987 | R Goldney/C Pfeffer | Australia/USA |
| 1989 | P Cosyns/J Wilmotte | Belgium |
| 1991 | D De Leo | Italy |
| 1993 | D Wasserman | Sweden |
| 1995 | K Hawton | United Kingdom |
| 1997 | A Schmidtke | Germany |
| 1999 | A Roy | USA |
| 2001 | A Leenaars | Canada |
| 2003 | I Orbach | Israel |
| 2005 | K van Heeringen | Belgium |
| 2007 | J Mann | USA |
| 2009 | M Williams | UK |
| 2011 | P Yip | Hong Kong |
2011 Stengel Research Award to Paul Yip
Professor Paul Yip is an outstanding and active researcher with more than 20 years of scientific activity in the field of suicide research. He has published more than 200 articles about suicide in internationally acknowledged journals. He has also published 2 monographs and more than 10 book chapters about suicide. He has been a leading person in the area of suicide research in the Asia-Pacific region and at a global level, and his research work is held in high esteem.
Paul Yip's scientific work covers a wide area, ranging from statistical methods and public health surveillance to intervention studies on suicide prevention. One of his pioneering studies on restricting the means of charcoal for suicide prevention published by the British Journal of Psychiatry in 2010 has led to a drastic reduction of the number of charcoal related suicides in Hong Kong. It has received extensive media coverage and has a profound impact on Taiwan, Korea and Japan, which are severely affected by charcoal burning suicides. Paul Yip's recent publication entitled "Evidence based Suicide Prevention Program", published by West Pacific Region of the World Health Organization, has expanded understanding of the intricate factors leading to different types of suicides and the development of effective suicide prevention strategies. Paul Yip's research work has challenged many commonly held assumptions and generates new knowledge and understanding. He has been awarded more than HK$ 50 million research funds. He has received many prizes and awards for his scholarly achievement and contributions.
Paul Yip is a strategic partner for suicide prevention in the Asia-Pacific region. Being the director of Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention and a consultant or advisor of dozen institutes and organizations, Professor Yip has inspired many colleagues and students in a wide range of intellectual pursuits, particularly in the area of suicide research.
There is no doubt that, with his commitment and engagement in suicide research and prevention networks, suicidology has been, and will continuously be, his main area of interest/work. With his achievements in suicide research and potential contribution in the area, Professor Yip is the well-deserved recipient of the Stengel Research Award.
Kees van Heeringen
Chair of the Stengel Research Award Committee
The Stengel Research Award has been provided since 1977 and is named in honour of the late Professor Erwin Stengel, one of the founders of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP). This award is for outstanding research in the field of suicidology, and nominations can be made by any member of IASP.
IASP members are invited to nominate suitable persons for the Stengel Research Award. Nominees do not necessarily have to be IASP members. The criteria for selection are:
- outstanding and active researcher with at least 10 years of scientific activity in the field, as evidenced by a number of publications in internationally-acknowledged journals.
- national leadership in the area.
- suicidology is main (focal) area of interest/work.
- author/co-author of at least one international book.
- reasonable expectation (outline to be submitted) of futher research activity in the field.
STENGEL RESEARCH CHAIRPERSON
Professor Kees van Heeringen
University of Ghent
Department of Psychiatry
Unit of Suicide Research
De Pintelaan 185
B-9000 Belgium
Tel: +32 [9] 332 43 30
Fax +32 [9] 332 49 89
Email: cornelis.vanheeringen@UGent.be
Please send your nomination direct to Professor Kees van Heeringen, Chairperson of the Stengel Research Award and attach a brief summary (CV) of why your nominee is deserving of the Award.
Stengel Research Award (pdf)
The Ringel Service Award
| Year | Recipient | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Zhai Shu Tao | P.R.China |
| 1997 | Y Saito | Japan |
| 1999 | V Scott | France |
| 2001 | L Mehlum | Norway |
| 2003 | J Nagdimon | USA |
| 2007 | L Ratnayeke | Sri Lanka |
| 2011 | J Bertolote | Australia |
2011 Ringel Service Award to Jose M. Bertolote
Jose M. Bertolote, M.D., Ph.D., has been selected as the IASP 2011 Ringel Service Award recipient. Dr. Bertolote has worked tirelessly for suicide prevention while at the WHO, and has collaborated closely with IASP on many initiatives, conferences, and media campaigns. He gathered WHO support to launch the first World Suicide Prevention Day, and coordinated WHO-IASP publications on suicide prevention. He has worked for many years to coordinate suicide preventive initiatives nationally and internationally, to help raise the awareness of suicide prevention on the public agenda, and to promote new methods and knowledge in the field of suicidology.
Dr. Bertolote joined WHO in 1989. In 1996 he collaborated with the United Nations Organization to produce the seminal document, "Prevention of Suicide: Guidelines for the Formulation and Implementation of National Strategies," that has shaped the majority of national suicide prevention strategies thereafter. In 1999 he established the WHO International Network for Suicide Prevention and Research, which resulted in eight international Regional Workshops on Suicide Prevention. He has been instrumental in the development and implementation for many of the most important WHO initiatives, including the WHO's SUPRE activity, and was the principal coordinator of the SUPRE-MISS project. SUPRE-MISS was the largest multi-site controlled trial of a brief intervention and contact for suicide attempters. He was also the leader of the WHO Initiative on Pesticides and Health, concentrating on finding the best strategies to reduce the impact of pesticides on intentional and accidental poisoning.
He retired from WHO in 2008, and currently serves as Professor, Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, Griffith University (Brisbane, Australia), and Associate Professor, Botucatu Medical School (Botucatu, Brazil). Dr. Bertolote has written more than 100 articles, books, and other publications. He remains an international ambassador and champion for suicide prevention. His career embodies the essence of the objectives of the Ringel Service Award.
Morton Silverman
Chair of the Ringel Service Award Committee
The Ringel Service Award was instituted in 1995 and honours the late Professor Erwin Ringel, the founding President of the Association. This award is for distinguished service in the field of suicidology, and nominations can be made by National Representatives of IASP.
National Representatives of IASP are invited to nominate suitable persons to recieve the Ringel Service Award. Nominees do not necessarily have to be IASP members. The criteria for selection are:
- actively involved in the practice of suicide prevention and crisis intervention and its dissemination.
- acknowledged as a national initator or leader in the field.
- suicide prevention and/or crisis intervention should be the main portion of his/her work.
RINGEL SERVICE AWARD CHAIRPERSON
Dr Morton Silverman
4858 South Dorchester Avenue
Chicago Il 60615-2012
USA
Phone: + 1 773 550 8179
Fax: + 1 773 624 3995
Email: msilverman@edc.org
Please send your nomination directly to Dr Silverman, Chairperson of the Ringel Service Award Committee, and attach a brief summary (CV) of why your nominee is deserving of this Award.
Ringel Service Award (pdf)
The Farberow Award
| Year | Recipient | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | O Grad | Slovenia |
| 1999 | K Dunne Maxim/E A Dunne | USA |
| 2001 | S Clarke | Australia |
| 2003 | G H and E Weyrauch | USA |
| 2005 | K Andriessen | Belgium |
| 2007 | K Dyregrov | Norway |
| 2009 | F Campbell | USA |
| 2011 | J Fisher | Australia |
2011 Farberow Postvention Award to Jill Fisher
The IASP Farberow Postvention Award Committee had received four valid nominations, each nominee being a very valuable potential recipient of the Award. After thorough assessment with regards to the four selection criteria, the Committee recommended the recipient: Jill Fisher (Australia), who meets the four criteria in a highly distinctive way.
- Jill has been actively involved in the establishment and operation of programs for the bereaved by suicide. Her involvement spans 20 years, initially as a facilitator of the Sunshine Coast Bereavement Support Group. Since 2001 Jill has been responsible for the establishment and operation of the StandBy Response Service. From a local project, Jill has directed its development in a wide range of Australian communities. The project has been extremely successful, and received the 2002 Queensland Commonwealth Family and Community Service CanDo Award.
- As the Standby National Coordinator Jill's role requires significant leadership in the program's regions and in the overall field of suicide bereavement in Australia. She has been a speaker at (inter)national conferences. She had a leading role in the redevelopment of "Living is for Everyone", the Australian suicide prevention framework; the Lifeline's National Suicide Bereavement Standards Project; and the Suicide Bereavement & Postvention Position Statement 2009. Currently, Jill serves as the editor of the IASP Postvention Newsletter.
- Jill has contributed to the research and evaluation of such programs. She oversaw the evaluation of the National Support Pack for those Bereaved by Suicide. She assisted in the 2006 Beyond the River Suicide Research Project which trialled instruments for suicide survivor research. Currently, Jill is involved in the economic evaluation of the StandBy Program.
- Jill intends to continue to be involved in this important area of work. In 2012 she is starting doctoral studies related to suicide bereavement models, practice, and cultural perspectives. Future plans include research into suicide bereavement and media with the Hunter Institute Media and Suicide Bereavement Project.
Karl Andriessen
Chair of the Farberow Postvention Award Committee
The Farberow Award was introduced in 1997 in recognition of Professor Norman Farberow, a founding member and driving force behind the IASP. This award is for a person who has contributed significantly in the field of work with survivors of suicide, and nominations can be made by any IASP member.
Members are invited to nominate suitable persons for the Farberow Award. It is for the person who in the view of the award committee has contibuted significantly in the field of work with suicide survivors. Nominees do not necessarily have to be IASP members. The criteria for selection are:
- has been actively involved in the establishment and operation of bereaved through suicide/survivor programs.
- has demonstrated national leadership in the area
- has contributed to the research and evaluation of such programs.
- will continue to involve themselves in this important area of work.
FARBEROW AWARD CHAIRPERSON
Karl Andriessen
Vaartdijk 60
2800 Mechelen
Belgium
Phone: +32 [9] 233 50 99
Fax: +32 [9] 233 35 89
Email: karl.andriessen@pandora.be
Please send your nomination directly to Karl Andriessen, Chairperson of the Farberow Award Committee, and attach a brief summary (CV) of why you feel your nominee is deserving.
Farberow Award (pdf)
De Leo Fund Award
| Year | Recipient | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | A. Ahmadi | Iran |
| 2011 | E. Kinyanda | Uganda |
2011 De Leo Fund Award to Eugene Kinyanda
On the occasion of the second De Leo Fund Award, which is given to researchers nationally, it gives me particular pleasure to declare the winner in Dr. Eugene Kinyanda, from Uganda.
Dr. Kinyanda is a psychiatrist, who got a PhD degree in Europe, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. Eugene now works with the Uganda Medical Research Council on AIDS but continues to be very active in suicide research and prevention, which represents his main interest.
Apart from possessing an impressive CV and list of publication, Dr. Kinyanda fulfills all the criteria for the award: he is born in a developing country; has performed his research also in a developing country (mainly Uganda, but he also participates in a current research project in Ghana); and is a young/mid-career researcher.
Eugene had his Bachelor Degree in Surgery and Medicine from Makerere University (Uganda) in 1992 and his Master's Degree in Medicine (Psychiatry) in 1998, with the same University. He has held different positions both in hospitals (Butabika National Psychiatric Referral Hospital) and at Makerere University (College of Heath Sciences). Eugene was already the winner of different awards (Young Fellows Award of the XI World Psychiatric Association Congress, Hamburg, Germany, 1999; Young Investigators Award of the World Congress of Biological Psychiatry, Berlin, Germany, 2001, and is a member of the MP-Scientist Pairing scheme of the Uganda Academy of Health Scientist/Parliament of Uganda, 2010- 2011).
Eugene is co-author of 17 papers (mostly published in international journals), and several book chapters and research reports; has presented to more than thirty conferences and is currently supervising two PhD students together with Prof. Heidi Hjelmeland, of whom he has been a PhD student and then a scientific collaborator for more than ten years. Prof. Hjelmeland has kindly supported the nomination of Dr. Kinyanda for this award.
I want to express my gratitude to the colleagues that have shared with me the commitment of selecting the winner for this edition of the award: Mrs. Vanda Scott OBE, Prof. Murad Kahn, Prof. Lakshmi Vijayakumar, and Prof. Silvia Canetto. Congratulations, Dr. Kinyanda!
Diego De Leo
Chair of the De Leo Fund Award Committee
The De Leo Fund Award honours the memory of Nicola and Vittorio, the beloved children of Professor Diego De Leo, IASP Past President.
The Award is offered to distinguished scholars in recognition of their outstanding research on suicidal behaviours carried out in developing countries.
Members of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) are invited to nominate suitable persons for the De Leo Fund Award. It is for the person who in the view of the award committee has contributed significantly to developing suicide research in a developing country.
Nominees do not necessarily have to be IASP members.
TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE DE LEO FUND AWARD,
CANDIDATES SHOULD DEMONSTRATE THE
FOLLOWING CRITERIA:
- Be born in a developing country;
- Have performed their research in a developing country;
- Be a young/mid career researcher (no more than 20 years from graduation), with a prevailing interest in research in the field of suicide;
- Be able to demonstrate, through publications in internationally indexed journals, their competence in the field of suicide;
- Not to be a current nominee for any other IASP Award.
DE LEO FUND AWARD CHAIRPERSON:
Prof. Diego De Leo, Australian Institute for Suicide
Research and Prevention, Griffith University,
176 Messines Ridge Rd, Mt. Gravatt Campus
Mt Gravatt QLD 4122, Australia
Phone: + 61 7 3735 3377 / Fax: + 61 7 3735 3450
E- mail: D.DeLeo@griffith.edu.au
Please send your nomination directly to Prof Diego De Leo, Chairperson of the De Leo Fund Award Committee and attach a brief summary (CV) of why your nominee is deserving of the Award
De Leo Fund Award (pdf)
The Lee Award for Good Suicide Prevention Measures / Practices
Introduction
The World Health Organization estimates that there are one million suicides around the world each year. The problem of suicidal behaviours varies from country to country. Almost 60% of world suicides occur in the Asia Pacific region. The organizers of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (Sept 13th - 17th, 2011 Beijing World Congress (www.iaspchina.org) would like to take this opportunity to recognize and acknowledge good practices of suicide prevention globally during the Conference on September 15th 2011. IASP wishes to encourage evidence-based practices aimed at reducing suicidal behaviours and to raise the awareness of suicide prevention across different countries, cultures, religions and ethnic groups. Since there are a number of suicide prevention measures / programmes that have been developed, it is valuable to identify those with clear missions and objectives, sound methodologies and measurable outcomes.
The Acknowledgement Scheme
To recognize deserving programmes, we would like the National Representative of your country / city / region to nominate a maximum of three suicide prevention measures / programmes which will be reviewed in accordance with established selection criteria. A selection panel will select programmes to be acknowledged out of all nominations submitted by National Representatives and then present them in the "Programme Brochure" of the Peter Lee Gala Dinner on the 14th Sept. 2011. Each selected programme will be presented with a cash prize as a token of appreciation which can be used for further development of these meaningful endeavours. The organizers will give strong consideration to nominations received particularly from developing countries / cities because thorough evaluations on these measures / programmes often may be restricted by limited resources.
For details, please download the letter to IASP National Representatives and the nomination form.
