Charles Raison, MD, Awarded 2014 Raymond Pearl Memorial Award From the Human Biology Association

The Human Biology Association awarded the 2014 Raymond Pearl Memorial Lecture and Award to Charles L. Raison, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, and Barry and Janet Lang Associate Professor of Integrative Mental Health, Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona.

Dr. Raison was presented the award “in recognition of his contributions to our understanding of evolutionary biocultural origins of mental health and illness.” 

Dr. Raison leads the Mechanisms of Emotion, Social Relationships, and Health (MESH) Initiative at the Frances McClelland Institute.  

The Raymond Pearl Memorial Lecture was established in 1983 by the Human Biology Association to honor one of the great human biologists of the 20th Century. Pearl’s contributions to science were voluminous and included the areas of biostatistics and statistical methods, human population biology, population growth, aging, nutrition, genetics, animal behavior and physiology and epidemiology, seeing all of these studies as part of a larger holistic human biology.

Raymond Pearl is commemorated each year at the Annual Meeting of the Human Biology Association with a memorial lecture delivered by an individual who has made outstanding contributions to science. In accepting the award, Dr. Raison described ongoing research being conducted at the University of Arizona into the use of novel body- and immune-based methodologies for treating major depression.

Over the past 30 years, the Human Biology Association has honored leading thinkers in every domain of the field.

Contact the Department of Psychiatry for additional information at 520-626-3273.