Child Mind Institute Founder and President Dr. Harold Koplewicz Receives WebMD Health Heroes Award

NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, founder and president of the Child Mind Institute, was named a WebMD Health Hero alongside Michael J. Fox, Martha Stewart, the Cleveland Clinic's Frank Papay and several others. The award, which comes with a $10,000 donation to the Child Mind Institute (childmind.org), was presented to a group of individuals who have had a profound effect on the health care landscape and have given back to others.

"At the Child Mind Institute, we believe that helping children early, when it's most effective, is the way to a better future. When I think about the children and adolescents who struggle with psychiatric or learning disorders, it's hard to feel like a hero," Dr. Koplewicz said. "Kids with depression or social anxiety or dyslexia or ADHD often have to fight so hard every day to do things the rest of us take for granted. That's courage—that's heroism."

Dr. Koplewicz was recognized for making a difference in children's mental health by founding the Child Mind Institute, the only independent nonprofit organization in the United States dedicated to child and adolescent psychiatric and learning disorders. 75% of all psychiatric illness occurs before age 24 and 50% before age 14. More than 15 million children in the United States have a psychiatric or learning disorder – and half of them never receive help.

Since opening its doors in September 2010, Child Mind Institute has treated 4000 children from 38 states and 25 nations, including South Korea, India, Haiti, and Brazil, and has offered over $2 million in financial aid for clinical care. The organization's Center for the Developing Brain conducts neuroimaging studies utilizing big data and open data and collaborating with 2600 scientists around the globe. The goal is to better understand how the brain develops by identifying biomarkers for psychiatric disorders and improving both diagnosis and treatment effectiveness. Additionally, the Child Mind Institute works to destigmatize child mental illness and inform families around the globe that disorders are real, common and treatable. CMI's website, childmind.org, is the authority on children's mental health for parents everywhere.

Dr. Koplewicz received the award at an event held at The TimesCenter. He will also be featured in the November/December issue of WebMD Magazine.

About the Child Mind Institute:
The Child Mind Institute (childmind.org) is dedicated to transforming mental health care for children everywhere. Founded by Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz and Brooke Garber Neidich, the organization is committed to finding more effective treatments for childhood psychiatric and learning disorders, building the science of healthy brain development, and empowering children and their families with help, hope, and answers. The Child Mind Institute does not accept funding from the pharmaceutical industry.

Press Contacts:
Child Mind Institute
Alison McSherry, 646-625-4341
[email protected]

SOURCE Child Mind Institute

Related Links

http://childmind.org