Deanna Barch, a leading scholar in the field of cognitive and language deficits in disorders like schizophrenia, recently won two honors from national organizations.
Barch is vice dean of research and a professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences and the Gregory B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine, all at WashU.
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) awarded her the 2024 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health for her seminal contributions to advancing our understanding of the developmental psychopathology and treatment of mental health disorders. She received the award at the group’s annual meeting Oct. 20 in Washington, D.C.
The NAM cited Barch’s work on the neural and psychological causes of negative symptoms in schizophrenia; her study of the impacts of childhood poverty on brain and behavioral development; and her mentorship of early-career scientists.
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation awarded Barch the Lieber Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Schizophrenia Research. The organization presented the prize Oct. 25 in New York. A committee of the foundation’s scientific council, a volunteer group of 195 mental health experts across disciplines in brain and behavior, selected Barch for the honor.
