APA honors Rep. Watson Cole‐man with Jacob K. Javits Award

Abstract

During its online federal advocacy conference June 5, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) conferred the highest award it gives a public servant, the Jacob K. Javits Award, to Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D‐N.J.). Rep. Watson Coleman is being honored for her career record of public service on mental health, including her recent activities with the Congressional Black Caucus to prevent suicides in Black youth and her staunch support of the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act. Each year, the APA confers the Jacob K. Javits Award to a federal and or state public servant who has made outstanding contributions to the profession of psychiatry and mental health advocacy. The APA established the award in 1986 in honor of Senator Javits, who represented New York state in the U.S. Senate from 1957 to 1981. Rep. Watson Coleman is the first Black woman to represent New Jersey in Congress. “Rep. Watson Coleman's leadership is critical to our nation's mental health,” said APA President Vivian Pender, M.D. “Her focus on health equities goes beyond simply funding the services that are needed, but to a wider lens of understanding how social determinants are impacting the mental health of diverse communities around the nation.”