Distinguished Career Award: Stephen Hinshaw, PhD

Distinguished Career Award: Stephen Hinshaw, PhD

SCCAP is delighted to honor Stephen Hinshaw, Ph.D. with the 2023 Distinguished Career Award in recognition of his pioneering and impactful program of research and overall contributions to the field. Dr. Hinshaw’s research contributions cover three primary areas of study, as described on his lab website: 1) developmental psychopathology and longitudinal research; 2) Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)—causal pathways and mechanisms underlying lifespan improvement; and 3) stigmatization of mental illness—key processes and strategies for stigma reduction. Additionally, Dr. Hinshaw has furthered science on prevention interventions targeting various aspects of youth mental illness.  

Dr. Hinshaw is currently a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley as well as a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. After graduating summa cum laude with a B.A. from Harvard, he directed a summer camp for youth with disabilities as well as a therapeutic day program for children who were unable to attend public school. He went on to obtain his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at UCLA, followed by his post-doctoral fellowship at the Langley Porter Institute of UC San Francisco.  

The thread of Dr. Hinshaw’s commitment to service and social justice began early in his career as he was recognized at Harvard University as the “outstanding graduating senior integrating social action and scholarship” through the Ames Award. He sustained this dedication to service through his role in leadership on numerous advisory boards and executive committees for youth mental health organizations both in the U.S. and internationally – including his role as President for SCCAP  from 2001-2003 and again in 2019-2021. 

Dr. Hinshaw has examined risk and protective factors across multiple domains, including family, peer, and psychophysiological dimensions. He has been recognized for the tremendous impact of his work through receipt of honors including the Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Psychology from the American Psychological Association and the Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Child Development Award from the Society for Research in Child Development. He was also recognized for outstanding mentorship and teaching through the University of California at Berkeley and the Association for Psychological Science.  

Some of Dr. Hinshaw’s most notable research studies include his work as Principal Investigator for the Berkeley site of the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA) as well as the Berkeley Girls with ADHD Longitudinal (BGALS) Study. He has received over $20 million in research support from the NIH, with comparable additional support from foundation sources. Dr. Hinshaw has authored over 400 scientific works with an astounding h-index of 132 reported by Google Scholar. He has authored or edited 16 books, including Another Kind of Madness: A Journey through the Stigma and Hope of Mental Illness, which won the Best Book Award at the American Book Fest in the Autobiography/Memoir category. His most recent book, Straight Talk about ADHD in Girls: How to Help your Daughter Thrive received multiple accolades from other ADHD and youth mental health experts, noted as “critically important,” a “must read,” and “filled with sage advice as well as inspiration and hope.”  

Dr. Hinshaw’s research work has culminated in his leadership roles across multiple youth mental health initiatives and institutes, including roles as: co-director of the UCSF-UC Berkeley Schwab Dyslexia and Cognitive Diversity Center; director of the UCLA-UC Berkeley Awareness and Hope component of the UCLA Depression Grand Challenge; co-chair of the Child Teen and Family Center at the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; and chair of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Irsay Institute. He has also provided service to the field through his role on editorial boards on over 15 journals, including his role as Editor for Psychological Bulletin from 2009-2014 and his current role as Associate Editor for Development and Psychopathology. 

Dr. Hinshaw’s lab has remained active in research, with ongoing projects including the MTA and BGALs studies noted above, the Child Life and Attention Skills Program, the Let’s Bring Change to Mind and Erasing the Stigma of Mental Illness projects, the Neurophysiological Attention Test study, and Stigma of Mental Illness studies. He has supported the careers of many impactful young scientists who have also gone on to advance psychological science and practice in the area of clinical child and adolescent psychology, and he continues to invest heavily in mentorship of junior colleagues and trainees to prepare the next generation of leaders in the field.    

Dr. Hinshaw has made substantial contributions to the field of clinical child and adolescent psychology, and he continues to advance us in innovation and impact through his ongoing service and leadership efforts across multiple settings. His foundational work in areas of developmental psychopathology, intervention and prevention for youth mental illness, and addressing the stigma that surrounds youth mental illness has resounding impacts that will surely drive research and innovation in the field for many years to come. Dr. Hinshaw is an inspiration for the field and provides us with an incredible model of how to establish and maintain a successful career defined by excellence in science, teaching, and mentorship with the end goal of health promotion for children, adolescents, and families. We are incredibly excited for Dr. Hinshaw’s APA address that will take place on Friday morning at the APA Convention in Washington, D.C. and remain eager to see his continued impact on our field in the coming years! 

Congratulations Dr. Hinshaw!