ABOUT THE AWARD
Each year the National Council for Mental Wellbeing awards the Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an individual whose tireless efforts, far reaching impact and commitment to improving the lives of vulnerable Americans living with mental health and substance use challenges is unmatched.
This year the award goes to John F. Kelly, PhD, ABPP, the founder and director of the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital.
MAKING A MARK
A renowned practitioner, researcher and public advocate for individuals with substance use disorders and mental health challenges, John F. Kelly, Ph.D., has had – and continues to have – a profound impact in and beyond health care. Dr. Kelly has dedicated his life’s work to helping individuals in need achieve long term recovery, both locally in Boston, Massachusetts, as well as nationally and internationally.
Dr. Kelly is the Elizabeth R. Spallin Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School – the first endowed professor in addiction medicine at Harvard – and founder and director of the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). He is also the Program Director of the Addiction Recovery Management Service and the Associate Director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at MGH.
Dr. Kelly is a co-founder and inaugural current president of the American Board of Addiction Psychology, a past president of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Society of Addiction Psychology, and is a distinguished scientist and Fellow of the APA. He has also served as a consultant to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as internationally, the World Health Organization and the United Nations, representing the U.S. at summits discussing substance use treatment, stigma and discrimination.
Dr. Kelly is a licensed clinical psychologist actively working with individuals and families with alcohol and other drug use disorders. He has published 200+ peer-reviewed articles, reviews and chapters in the field of addiction science and is currently an Associate Editor for several academic journals in the addiction field. Dr. Kelly was also an author on the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health and currently works with Psychology Today as a monthly contributor.
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is proud to recognize Dr. Kelly as its 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award winner and thanks him for going above and beyond to change lives in his community. Dr. Kelly will be accepting his award at NatCon22 from April 11-13 in Washington, DC.
