On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium

The 2025 On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium honored the pioneering work of Matthew Nock, PhD, a trailblazing psychologist, the winner of the 2025 Sarah Gund Prize for Research and Mentorship in Child Mental Health. Dr. Nock’s work employs multidisciplinary approaches to better understand and treat suicidal behavior.

The 2024 On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium was held virtually on Wednesday, October 30. This year’s event celebrated the work of Rachel Klein, PhD, former senior clinician and emeritus member of the Scientific Research Council at the Child Mind Institute.

The 2023 On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium was held virtually on Thursday, October 12. This year’s event celebrated the work of Dr. Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus, PhD, Distinguished Professor in the Semel Institute and the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA.

The 2022 On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium was held virtually on Thursday, October 20. The event honored the work of Dr. Margaret McCarthy, PhD, chair of the Department of Pharmacology and director for the Program in Neuroscience (PIN) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The 2021 On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium was held virtually on Tuesday, October 5. The 2021 symposium celebrated the work of Dr. Yasmin Hurd, the Ward-Coleman Chair of Translational Neuroscience and the Director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai.

The 2020 On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium was held virtually on Tuesday, October 6. The 2020 symposium celebrated the work of Dr. Tom Boyce, the Lisa and John Pritzker Distinguished Professor of Developmental and Behavioral Health at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Boyce’s work focuses on the impact of socioeconomic factors and early life experiences on child physical and mental health.

The 2019 On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium celebrated the work of John Weisz, PhD, Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University and a Professor at Harvard Medical School. He leads the Harvard Lab for Youth Mental Health. Dr. Weisz’s recent work involves the development and testing of personalized and flexible, evidence-based treatments including modular treatments for anxiety, depression, trauma and conduct disorders.

The 2018 On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium celebrated the work of Felton “Tony” Earls, MD, Professor of Social Medicine, Emeritus, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Earls presented on the consequences of children’s exposure to community violence and the far-reaching benefits of engaging children as citizens to enhance their well-being.

The 2017 On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium celebrated the work of Kenneth A. Dodge, PhD, Pritzker Professor of Public Policy; Founder of the Center for Child and Family Policy at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.

The 2016 On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium celebrated the work of John L. R. Rubenstein, MD, PhD, Nina Ireland Distinguished Professor in Child Psychiatry and 2016 Child Mind Institute Distinguished Scientist Award Recipient.

The 2015 On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium celebrated the work of Thomas Insel, MD, former director of the National Institute of Mental Health and 2015 Child Mind Institute Distinguished Scientist Award Recipient.

The 2014 On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium celebrated the work of Pasko Rakic, MD PhD, director of the Yale Kavli Institute for Neuroscience and 2014 Child Mind Institute Distinguished Scientist Award Recipient.

The 2013 On the Shoulders of Giants scientific symposium celebrated the work of Nora Volkow, MD, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and 2013 Child Mind Institute Distinguished Scientist Award Recipient.

The 2012 On the Shoulders of Giants scientific symposium celebrated the work of Eric R. Kandel, MD, Nobel Prize laureate and 2012 Child Mind Institute Distinguished Scientist Award Recipient.

In 2011, the first annual On the Shoulders of Giants Symposium celebrated Jerome Kagan, PhD, and Judith L. Rapoport, MD, recipients of the Child Mind Institute’s Distinguished Scientist Awards for their extraordinary contributions to child mental health.