WASHINGTON (May 22, 2013)—The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has presented Paramjit T. Joshi, M.D., with a Special Presidential Commendation. Joshi is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) and the chair of the division of behavioral medicine and director of the psychiatry and psychology programs at Children’s National Medical Center.
“With this award, we recognize Dr. Joshi’s long-standing contributions to psychiatric medicine, education and research, her international leadership on the mental health of children and adolescents, and her pioneering work on helping reduce the psychiatric toll on children who have experienced natural disasters, wars and other forms of violence, or other traumatic events,” said APA President Dilip V. Jeste, M.D., director of the Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging at the University of California, San Diego.
The award was presented at the 2013 APA Annual Meeting in San Francisco. The Special Presidential Commendation is awarded at the discretion of the APA president.
During the past 25 years, Dr. Joshi has developed expertise in the psychological effects on children of trauma, crisis, and violence. She is called upon for expert testimony and by the media to help educate the public in caring for overwhelmed or traumatized children and teens. Dr. Joshi is also called upon to consult internationally in developing research and outreach programs to train and build capacity for mental health services in war torn countries such as Croatia, Boznia, Herzegovina, Iraq, and Eritrea. She is currently consulting to the children’s hospital in Tokyo, assigned by the Japanese government to develop a response program for children affected by natural and man-made disasters.
Closer to home, Dr. Joshi has been a leading voice on the perceived link between mental health conditions and gun violence. As she notes, children and adults with mental health conditions who are diagnosed and treated are no more likely to harm themselves or others than anyone else in the general population.
“As the APA noted, this commendation recognizes Dr. Joshi’s commitment to quality clinical care, training, and research in child psychiatry,” said Roger J. Packer, M.D., professor of neurology at GW SMHS and senior vice president of the Center for Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine at Children’s National. “Dr. Joshi is a leading voice in the national dialogue on mental health, pointing out that we as a nation have to recognize that mental health issues are children’s issues, since the majority of mental health conditions begin in childhood or adolescence.”
