We are delighted to announce that Dr. David Antonucci (PhD, 1981) is the 2020 winner of the Alfred M. Wellner Lifetime Achievement Award for Research Excellence from the National Register of Health Service Psychologists. Congratulations, David!

On winning the award, Dr. Antonucci writes, “The truth is I credit the University of Oregon psychology department for teaching me how to be a scientist practitioner. In my opinion, it is one of the greatest psychology departments in the country.”

The National Register’s Awards Committee selected Dr. Antonuccio for the Wellner award based on his numerous professional accomplishments, dedication to advocacy, and leadership in psychology. Among these many accomplishments, Dr. Antonuccio testified in the 2004 FDA hearings on the increased suicide risk of antidepressants in children, testimony that contributed to the black box warnings on antidepressant use in children. He has published and presented extensively on the efficacy of antidepressants and on the behavioral treatment of smoking cessation.

Upon receiving the award, Dr. Antonuccio said, “Clinical research is essential to the development of effective treatments. This award for excellence in research means the world to me because it is given by an organization that represents health care providers, the group of psychologists with which I most identify. I love doing psychotherapy. The tools we have as psychologists are powerful and we know that because of clinical research evaluating treatment outcomes. It has been said that ‘you can give a person fish and feed him for a day, or you can teach him how to fish and feed him for a lifetime.’ In my view, psychotherapy is the equivalent of teaching someone how to fish. Clinical research has shown us how to do that most effectively.”

More information about Dr. Antonucci’s award is here.