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Eleanor & Thomas P. Hackett Memorial Award

Dr. Hackett, from MGH Psychiatry History

The Eleanor and Thomas P. Hackett Memorial Award is the Academy's highest honor. It is presented to a member who has demonstrated distinctive achievements in C-L Psychiatry training, research, clinical practice, and leadership.

The award was established in 1988 to honor Thomas P. Hackett, Jr., MD, FACLP, professor and chief of the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital 1974-1988 and president of ACLP 1987-88. Dr. Hackett was a long-time leader in the field of C-L psychiatry. He died of a heart attack at age 59, two months after he took office as president of ACLP. The first Hackett award was presented in 1989 to Edwin H. Cassem, MD, FACLP, who also succeeded Dr. Hackett as chief of psychiatry at MGH, 1989-2000.

In 2009 the award was renamed to include Dr. Hackett's wife, Eleanor, who passed away of leukemia in April 2009. "Ellie" had presented the award at the annual meeting almost every year since its inception. She received ACLP's Special Recognition Award in 2003.

AWARD DETAILS

ELIGIBILITY

    • Full ACLP member for the past ten (10) consecutive years and current Fellow (FACLP) status

SELECTION

    • Nominations are reviewed by the ACLP Fellowship & Awards Subcommittee.

RECOGNITION

The recipient receives:

    • Plaque presented at the Annual Meeting
    • A $1,000 honorarium
    • An invitation to deliver a lecture at the Annual Meeting

TIMELINE

    • Nominations open March 16, 2026 and close April 30, 2026.

APPLICATION

Nominations may be submitted by others on behalf of the candidate through the online nomination form; self-nominations will not be accepted.

The application includes:

    • Nominee’s CV
    • Three (3) letters of recommendation
    • Attestation that the nominee will deliver a lecture at the ACLP Annual Meeting in the year awarded
    • (Optional) Up to five (5) additional supporting documents (e.g., title pages, letters of appointment, publications)

Candidates are evaluated based upon:

  1. Demonstration of active presentation AND active service within ACLP.
      • Examples of active presentation include:
        1. Serving as moderator, speaker, or discussant for a preconference course or general session
        2. Serving as lead presenting author for a poster or oral paper session
      • Examples of active service include:
        1. Service on the Board of Directors
        2. Service on a committee, subcommittee, or taskforce
        3. Service as chair, co-chair, or vice chair of a Special Interest Group
  3. Demonstration of significant contributions advancing the field of consultation-liaison psychiatry.
  4. Demonstration of excellence in each of the following four categories:
      • Education
      • Scholarship / Research
      • Clinical Excellence in consultation-liaison psychiatry
      • Leadership in consultation-liaison psychiatry within and outside ACLP
  5. Three (3) letters of recommendation collectively supporting excellence in the four required categories.

Exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis for exceptional candidates.

SUBMIT APPLICATION

2025 Award Recipient

Rebecca Brendel, MD

Rebecca Brendel, MD

Dr. Rebecca Brendel is Director of the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics and a Past President of both the ACLP and the American Psychiatric Association. A psychiatrist and attorney, her leadership at the intersection of psychiatry, ethics, and law has influenced clinical practice and policy nationally and internationally. Her career exemplifies excellence in clinical care, education, scholarship, and service.

Previous Award Winners

2024 Linda Worley, MD, FACLP
2023 Michael Sharpe, MA, MD, FACLP
2022 Catherine Crone, MD, FACLP
2021 James Bourgeois, MD, OD, FACLP
2020 J. Michael Bostwick, MD, FACLP
2019 Philip Muskin, MD, MA, DLFAPA, FACLP
2018 José Maldonado, MD, FACLP
2017 Gregory Fricchione, MD, FACLP
2016 Donald Rosenstein, MD, FACLP
2015 Mary Ann Cohen, MD, FACLP
2014 Lewis M. Cohen, MD, FACLP
2013 James L. Levenson, MD, FACLP
2012 James R. Rundell, MD, FACLP
2011 William S. Breitbart, MD, FACLP
2010 Donna E. Stewart, MD, FACLP
2009 Francis Creed, MD, FRCP, FRCPsych
2008 Theodore A. Stern, MD, FACLP
2007 Frederik J. Huyse, MD, PhD, FACLP
2006 Russell Noyes, Jr., MD, FACLP
2005 Richard Mayou, MD
2004 Joel E. Dimsdale, MD
2003 Wayne J. Katon, MD, FACLP
2002 James J. Strain, MD, FACLP
2001 Michael K. Popkin, MD, FACLP
2000 Don R. Lipsitt, MD
1999 Thomas N. Wise, MD, FACLP
1998 James S. Eaton, Jr., MD, FACLP
1997 Alan Stoudemire , MD , FACLP
1996 George B. Murray, MD, FACLP
1995 Donald S. Kornfeld, MD, FACLP
1994 Jimmie C. Holland , MD, FACLP
1993 Norman B. Levy, MD, FACLP
1992 Avery D. Weisman, MD
1991 Zbigniew J. Lipowski, MD
1990 W. Alwyn Lishman, MD, DSc
1989 Edwin H. Cassem, MD, FACLP