Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute researcher receives young investigator grant for mental health research
Cameron Craddock, a postdoctoral researcher with the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute in Roanoke, has received a prestigious Young Investigator grant from the NARSAD Brain and Behavior Research Fund.
Craddock's research focus for the award is unipolar depression. He works with neuroscientists Stephen LaConte and Pearl Chiu, both new faculty members at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute.
“These NARSAD awards are highly competitive nationally and we are extremely proud of Dr. Craddock for his work and recognition in this important area of research for a major area of public health," said Michael Friedlander, executive director of the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. "This type of recognition is indicative of the very talented investigators who we have been fortunate to recruit to Roanoke and the new research institute in the last few months. We also congratulate Drs. Stephen LaConte and Pearl Chiu, who serve as mentors and collaborators with Dr. Craddock on this project.”
Craddock is also being mentored by Helen Mayberg, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and neurology and the Dorothy C. Fuqua Chair of Psychiatric Neuroimaging and Therapeutics at Emory University.
Craddock received his Ph.D. in 2009 graduate from Georgia Institute of Technology in electrical and computer engineering. He was a research fellow at Baylor College of Medicine before joining the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. His research involves the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to understand and treat psychiatric disorders.
The 124-member NARSAD Scientific Council, a volunteer group of preeminent mental health researchers leads the rigorous and competitive process of identifying the most promising ideas for NARSAD to fund in grant awards each year. Read the NARSAD press release about the January 2011 awards.
NARSAD -- formerly the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression -- was formed by three leading national mental health organizations: National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, National Mental Health Association and National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association. It has adopted the business name “NARSAD, The World's Leading Charity Dedicated to Mental Health Research” to reflect the broader funding interests of the organization.
