Eleventh Annual Welcome Back Awards Program Honors Individuals who Positively Impact the Depression Community
May 15 2009 - 10:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
-- Five Honorees will be recognized at Ceremony in San Francisco --
INDIANAPOLIS, May 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- After battling
postpartum depression 13 years ago, Diana Lynn Barnes is an expert
on the assessment and treatment of the disorder that threatened her
life. Instead of pretending it never happened, Diana funneled the
power of her survival into giving voice to other women experiencing
the devastation of postpartum depression. Diana is one of this
year's five Welcome Back Award honorees who have overcome
innumerable obstacles to make a profound difference in the lives of
others. "Whether through producing a documentary about internal
struggles, responding to a natural disaster that occurred half-way
around the world, or implementing a screening program to identify
women at risk for mood disorders during pregnancy, this year's
honorees all make an outstanding effort at creating positive change
for those with depression," said Dr. Carmen Vazquez Ph.D., clinical
professor of psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine
and the City University of New York, and Welcome Back Award
committee member. "I am honored to be involved in giving these
great individuals the recognition they deserve." Eli Lilly and
Company will be honoring these inspiring winners at the Eleventh
Annual Welcome Back Awards ceremony in San Francisco, Calif. on
Saturday, May 16. Lilly established the Welcome Back Awards in 1998
to fight the stigma associated with depression and to promote the
understanding that depression is treatable. Each year, an
independent panel of national mental health leaders recognizes five
individuals for their outstanding achievements, and Lilly awards
donations ranging between $10,000 and $15,000 to the not-for-profit
organization of each winner's choice. The 2009 Welcome Back Awards
honorees are: Lifetime Achievement: Diana Lynn Barnes, Psy.D.,
Tarzana, Calif. Diana Lynn Barnes, Psy.D., is an internationally
recognized expert on the assessment and treatment of perinatal mood
disorders who has used her own three-year struggle with postpartum
depression to help educate others through media interviews,
speaking engagements and as an author. In addition to her private
practice, she is a nationally known forensic expert in women's
reproductive mental health and works with defense counsels in cases
of infanticide, pregnancy denial and neonaticide. She is a past
president of Postpartum Support International and continues to work
with the group to raise awareness of postpartum depression. In
2007, she wrote her first book "The Journey to Parenthood: Myths,
Reality and What Really Matters." Additionally, Dr. Barnes has been
involved with the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia,
Calif. for the past two years to implement a comprehensive
pregnancy and postpartum screening program. Psychiatry: Roy W.
Menninger, M.D., Topeka, Kan. As a psychiatrist in private
practice, past president of the nationally-recognized Menninger
Foundation, and through his advocacy work with the Kansas Mental
Health Coalition, Dr. Roy Menninger has remained an inspirational
presence in the psychiatry community for almost 60 years. While
president of The Menninger Foundation, a nationally recognized
center for treatment, prevention, research and professional
education in psychiatry, Dr. Menninger raised $80 million,
increased the foundation's budget eight-fold and tripled the number
of staff members. Most importantly, as a co-worker notes, "Dr.
Menninger served as an inspirational CEO and leader, creating a
treatment structure at the clinic that brought out the best in
patients and staff and led to improvement in the quality-of-life of
all patients." His current advocacy efforts include work with the
Kansas Mental Health Coalition to examine the continuum of services
needed for those living with major depression. In addition, Dr.
Menninger took time out of his busy schedule to work with
traumatized victims after a devastating tornado hit the area in
2007, a purely voluntary effort in relation to a community five
hours away from Dr. Menninger's home. Primary Care: Marian McCord,
RN, St. Louis, Mo. Marian McCord started CHADS (Communities Healing
Adolescent Depression and Suicide) Coalition for Mental Health
shortly after her son Chad committed suicide in 2004. The goal of
CHADS is to advance the prevention and knowledge of adolescent
depression and suicide, through awareness, education and research.
In addition to serving as the executive director of CHADS, Marian
educates people about adolescent depression through speaking
engagements at schools--and is working to integrate the Signs of
Suicide program into all schools in the St. Louis area. After
working as a pediatric nurse for 15 years, adolescent depression
became a subject very close to her heart and she is determined to
make the world a better place by taking the lessons from Chad's
life and sharing them with others. Marian has spoken to over 5,000
students, given more than 75 presentations and appeared on almost
every major TV network to talk about the cause. Community Service:
Debra L. Wentz, Ph.D., Mercerville, N.J. Debra Wentz, Ph.D., is the
executive director of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health
Agencies (NJAMHA) and the New Jersey Mental Health Institute. Among
her many accomplishments, Dr. Wentz is being honored for developing
the Tsunami Mental Health Relief Project in Sri Lanka to provide
culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health training in
Sri Lanka in response to the 2004 tsunami. Dr. Wentz travelled to
Sri Lanka to provide training that helped teach participants about
the long-term effects of trauma, the symptoms of PTSD, and
available interventions. An estimated 200,000 children and adults
in Sri Lanka have benefited from this program. In addition, Dr.
Wentz has led the fight in New Jersey for Parity Coverage for
mental illness and continues to fight for adequate funding for the
constituent agencies of NJAMHA. She is the recipient of more than
55 national, state and local awards. Destigmatization: Bryce
Mackie, Battle Creek, Mich. Bryce Mackie is a college student who
produced the short film, "Eternal High" when he was 17. The video
portrayal of a depressed teen -- abusing drugs and engaging in self
destructive behavior -- reflected Bryce's own then-unexplored
feelings of depression and thoughts of suicide. In addition to
having won 25 national awards, including the Moving Pictures
Magazine Youth Award, presented at the Sundance Film Festival,
"Eternal High" is currently being distributed in over 10 countries.
In his spare time, Bryce travels around the U.S. and Canada to
teach other teens about depression so that they can recognize it,
deal with it and not be afraid of depression. He is currently
working on another film about mental illness. "All of this year's
honorees have either made the tough decision to come forward with
their struggles and turn them into something positive or overcome
external challenges to make a difference," said John Hayes, M.D.,
vice president of Lilly Research Laboratories and global brand
development team leader of neuroscience, Eli Lilly and Company.
"They are passionate about the work they do and serve as role
models to others in the depression community." Nominations for the
2010 Welcome Back Awards Nominations for the 2010 Welcome Back
Awards may be submitted by anyone wishing to be recognized for his
or her outstanding achievements in the depression community or
wishing to recognize someone else. For more information visit
http://www.lilly.com/responsibility/outcomes/. About Lilly Lilly, a
leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing
portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical
products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide
laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific
organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides
answers - through medicines and information - for some of the
world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about
Lilly is available at http://www.lilly.com/. O-LLY (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090515/DE16982LOGO)
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090515/DE16982LOGO
DATASOURCE: Eli Lilly and Company CONTACT: Kristin Campbell of
Chamberlain Communications Group, +1-212-884-0636, for Eli Lilly
and Company Web Site: http://www.lilly.com/
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