Established through an endowment to the APA Foundation in July 2024, this award reflects the Viswanathan Family’s deep interest in and passion about the intersection of lifestyle factors on mental and physical well-being and illness.
The purpose of this award is to advance population health through an examination of and dialogue about the impacts of lifestyle factors on mental and physical well-being and illness. This award will recognize significant scholarly and service contributions to the promotion of lifestyle interventions in mental and physical health. Lifestyle factors that have a significant impact on mental and physical health include physical activity, healthy nutrition, restorative sleep, stress amelioration, positive social connectedness and avoiding risky behaviors. The Award lectures will provide a platform to share the latest, evidence-based knowledge on lifestyle interventions to be used along with other treatment modalities such as psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, other somatic therapy to improve the mental and physical health and well-being of patients, health professionals themselves, and the community at large.