Just as we posted the results on Lenny Jason’s potentially ground-breaking study  on creating a new definition, we learned  that he’s just won a major award.

Lenny Jason has played a important role in the growth and legitimization of  the ME/CFS field. It’s hard  and more than a little depressing to  imagine what it  would look like without him.  Among the many things he’s demonstrated include:

Leonard Jason has played a critical role in building and legitimizing this field

• a way to produce an effective research definition for ME/CFS
• that pacing works – for many patients – but not for a subset of ill patients 
• that the  Canadian Consensus and International Consensus definitions have issues that need resolution before they can be used as research definitions
• that people with ME/CFS have a kind of pathological fatigue not found in healthy people
• that different kinds of fatigue are found in ME/CFS

And  that’s just in the past four years. Earlier, Jason’s work was critical in demonstrating, contrary to the CDC’s findings, that ME/CFS was a common disorder. He uncovered the flaws inherent in the CDC’s Empirical definition.  He  showed how easily ME/CFS could be distinguished from depression. The list goes on and on.

Lenny Jason’s winning of the  2015 American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research is not just a win for him, but because much of his research is focused on chronic  fatigue syndrome it’s a recognition of the growing importance and acceptance of this field.

With his work on ME/CFS dating back  to the early 1990’s, Lenny Jason has been a pioneer in  this field and is undoubtedly been well-acquainted with barbs and trials of working  in it.  How nice it is to get this recognition after so many years.

Dear Dr. Jason:

It is my great honor and pleasure to inform you that the Board of Professional Affairs has selected you as the recipient of the 2015 American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research. On behalf of the Board of Professional Affairs, I offer my warmest congratulations.

The formal presentation of this award will take place during the APA/APF Awards Ceremony at the 2015 APA Convention to be held in Toronto, Canada, August 6-9, 2015. At this ceremony, you will be presented with a citation highlighting your outstanding career contributions and an honorarium of $1,000. You will also be reimbursed for up to $1,500 of your travel expenses to attend the convention. Convention registration fees will be waived for yourself, your spouse and up to two dependents.

At this time, I also would like to invite you to deliver an address of 50 minutes duration to the membership at the 2015 Annual Convention.

Once again, congratulations as you are recognized for your accomplishments. I hope that you will be able to attend the 2015 Annual Convention to personally accept this award and to receive the congratulations of the entire membership.

Sincerely,

Stewart E. Cooper, PhD, ABPP, 2014 BPA Chair