Trailblazer Award

David Penn, Ph.D., is the recipient of the 2019 PASS-SIG Trailblazer award, in celebration of his achievements in research, clinical work, and dissemination and implementation of evidence-based services for people with psychosis and the schizophrenia spectrum. This work has included better understanding social cognition across the development of schizophrenia and its relationship to treatment outcomes, the development and implementation of Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT) program, Individual Resiliency Training (IRT), and early intervention for first episode psychosis. Dr. David Penn was one of the founders of the Outreach and Support Intervention Services (OASIS), one of the earliest first episode psychosis comprehensive specialty care programs in the US. He was also a key investigator in a NIMH-funded RAISE study which examined the effectiveness of coordinated care treatments like OASIS. Dr. Penn delivered a presentation on his work, entitled “Mentors and Mentees,” at our SIG’s annual meeting at the ABCT convention in Atlanta, Georgia.

Shirley M. Glynn, Ph.D., is the recipient of the 2018 PASS-SIG Trailblazer award, in celebration of her achievements in research, clinical work, and dissemination and implementation of evidence-based services for people with Psychosis and schizophrenia spectrum.  This work has encompassed supported employment, social skills training, and family therapy to promote recovery from schizophrenia and psychosis.  Her work highlighting the critical importance of the family environment and family interventions has been particularly groundbreaking.  She’s been a principal or co-principal investigator on NIMH and VA funded studies examining the benefits of behavioral family therapy in schizophrenia, combat-related PTSD, and co-occurring substance use disorders, as well as testing innovative strategies to involve families in the care of their loved ones with serious mental illnesses.  Dr. Glynn is one of the original members of the PASS-SIG.  She is a Clinical Research Psychologist at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System at West Los Angeles and a Research Psychologist at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA).