Congratulations to the 2023 Jonathan Cole Presidential Service Award Winner, Dr. Craig Nelson!

Dr. Nelson is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the University of California-San Francisco. From 1974 to 2002 he served on the faculty at Yale University School of Medicine. From 2002 to 2021 he held the Leon J Epstein M.D. Chair in Geriatric Psychiatry and was Director of Geriatric Psychiatry at UCSF. He has published over 200 articles, books and chapters including the text, Geriatric Psychopharmacology. He continues to teach, provide clinical supervision and participate in research at UCSF. His current area of research focuses on cognitive impairment in late-life depression. Dr. Nelson was a founding member of the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology and served on the Board of Directors from 1992 to 2012. In the 1990s he served as chair of the program committee and worked with Drs. Klein, Wender, and Jefferson to develop the certification exam in psychopharmacology. He served as President of the ASCP from 1999 to 2003. He also served as Editor of the ASCP Corner in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry from 2008 to 2018 and continues to serve on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

The Jonathan Cole Presidential Service Award is presented by the ASCP to a member who has made unusually significant contributions to the Society. The emphasis of this award is on extraordinary service to the growth of the Society —not for teaching, clinical, or research accomplishment. Recipients of the ASCP Jonathon Cole Presidential Award will receive complimentary registration and a plaque to be given at the ASCP Annual Meeting.

Jonathan O. Cole, M.D., was an innovator in the creation of the field of clinical psychopharmacology. Dr. Cole was a notable administrator – Chief of the Psychopharmacology Service Center (PSC) at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Superintendent of the Boston State Hospital. In 1969, Dr. Cole originated the Early Career Clinical Drug Evaluation Units (ECDEU) Meeting, subsequently under the name New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit (NCDEU) to the now ASCP Annual Meeting. In large part by Dr. Cole’s leadership and efforts in expanding the field of clinical psychopharmacology, ASCP continues to grow through meeting attendance and society membership.

The ASCP President, Past-President, or President-elect may nominate any current or previous Member or Fellow Member of the ASCP. The current ASCP President will select the recipient. This award is determined by the current ASCP President and may not be presented yearly.