DURING the 2018 Annual International Conference on ADHD, CHADD recognized a number of individuals and programs for their service, achievements, and dedication to improving the lives of children and adults affected by ADHD. The conference was held November 8-12, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Russell A. Barkley, PhD, is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children and Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia. He is board certified in three specialties: clinical psychology (ABPP), clinical child and adolescent psychology, and clinical neuropsychology (ABCN, ABPP). Dr. Barkley is a clinical scientist, educator, and practitioner who has published twenty-three books, rating scales, and clinical manuals numbering forty-one editions. He has also published more than 270 scientific articles and book chapters related to the nature, assessment, and treatment of ADHD and related disorders. He is the founder and editor of the bimonthly clinical newsletter, The ADHD Report, now in its twenty-fifth year of publication. Dr. Barkley has presented more than 800 invited addresses internationally and appeared on nationally televised programs such as 60 Minutes on behalf of individuals with ADHD. He has received awards from the American Psychological Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Board of Professional Psychology, Association for the Advancement of Applied and Preventive Psychology, American Professional Society for ADHD and Related Disorders, New England Educational Institute, the Wisconsin Psychological Association, and Children and Adults with ADHD (CHADD) for his career accomplishments, contributions to research in ADHD, to clinical practice, and for the dissemination of science.

Young Scientist Research Awards

Connor H.G. Patros, PhD, is a postdoctoral research fellow in the department of psychology at Temple University. He completed his clinical internship training at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. His research submission was titled Assessing Underlying Neurocognitive and Neurological Factors Associated with ADHD-Related Impulsivity. Dr. Patros has spent much of his postdoctoral research fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Th omas Olino, acquiring skills within the domain of neuroscience methodology that he plans to use to more comprehensively examine several of his research questions. Ultimately, Dr. Patros would like to more closely tie together the complex link between white matter integrity, neurocognitive functioning, and the maladaptive behavioral profile that is commonly present among individuals with ADHD. His hope is that this research will be used to refine current theoretical models of ADHD and subsequently lead to modifications regarding how the disorder is assessed and treated.

Patrick A. LaCount, MS, is a doctoral candidate in the clinical psychology program at the University of Wyoming and is currently completing his predoctoral internship at Duke University Medical Center. LaCount's doctoral research, conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Cynthia Hartung, centers on the manifestation and treatment of ADHD in association with the adjustment to adulthood. He is particularly interested in researching treatments that are tailored to address the unique needs and developmental context of emerging adulthood and college. His research submission was titled Acute Cognitive Effects of High-Intensity Aerobic Exercise in College Students with ADHD. This research aims to compare the immediate, short-term benefits of vigorous aerobic exercise on executive functioning and mood between college students with and without ADHD. His research has been supported by the Charles Ksir fellowship and a National Institute of General Medical Sciences fellowship. In addition to refining and gathering evidence-based information through research endeavors, he is passionate about improving dissemination and collaboration with the ADHD community. He volunteers as a research consultant for the How to ADHD YouTube channel.

Educator of the Year

Toby Tomlinson Baker is an outspoken global advocate and educator for students with learning disabilities and ADHD. As a PhD candidate at Pepperdine University's Global Leadership and Change program, she has focused much of her research on creating equal access in education for those with learning disabilities, particularly in higher education. Currently, she is currently a research assistant for the National Science Foundation at Pepperdine. Baker's doctoral work focuses on investigating how the perception of students with learning disabilities and ADHD can change and be lessened, allowing all students, especially those with disabilities, to have access to high quality education. She has presented globally and nationally on various special education topics. She has ten years of experience in the field of special education, specifically as a teacher of those with learning disabilities and ADHD. For the past seven years, Baker has been a learning support teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Innovative Program of the Year

SMARTS (Success, Motivation, Awareness, Resilience, Talents, Success) is a program developed by the Research Institute for Learning and Development in Lexington, Massachusetts, which is directed by Lynn Meltzer, PhD. An associate professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Dr. Meltzer is also a fellow and past president of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities. For twenty-nine years, she was an adjunct associate professor in the department of child development at Tuft s University. Dr. Meltzer is the founder and chair of the International Learning Differences Conference, now in its thirty-third year at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her thirty-nine years of neuropsychological evaluations and clinical consultations with children, adolescents, and adults have emphasized the theory-to-practice cycle of knowledge. Dr. Meltzer's recent work, together with her ResearchILD colleagues, has centered on the development of SMARTS Online, an evidence-based executive function and peer mentoring/coaching curriculum for middle and high school students. Among her extensive publications and presentations are articles, chapters, and books. Her books include, most recently, Executive Function in Education: From Theory to Practice (2007); Promoting Executive Function in the Classroom (2010); The Power of Peers in the Classroom: Enhancing Learning and Social Skills (2015), coedited with Karen Harris, and Executive Function in Education: From Theory to Practice (2nd edition, 2017).

Above and Beyond Award

Marie Paxson began as a volunteer for Chester County/ Main Line CHADD, near Philadelphia. After becoming chapter coordinator, she oversaw the committee that held highly-regarded regional conferences for over twelve years. The conferences, which continue to this day, feature well-known ADHD experts, plus solid local resources, so that attendees can access treatment options close to home. In addition, she was a key member of several ADHD conferences presented by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Her chapter activities were noticed by CHADD's leadership and she was added to many committees at the national level, including Affiliate Services and Membership. She ultimately served as CHADD's president from 2008-10. This role included active involvement in three of the annual international conferences on ADHD. Several public policy initiatives occurred during her tenure. Following her term as president, she became the chair of the editorial advisory board that helps to produce CHADD's award-winning Attention magazine. At present, Paxson continues to serve as a member of the editorial advisory board, as an active member of CHADD's Leadership Forum, and on the board of Chester County/Main Line CHADD.

Affiliate of the Year

CHADD of Greater Baltimore has been in existence for more than twenty-five years. The chapter runs programs in Baltimore and Howard Counties for parents, for parents of adults with ADHD, and for adults with ADHD. Linda Ellis and Sharyn Rhodes have both been affiliated with the chapter for twenty years, each serving as a board member and coordinator over the many years. Both still facilitate groups for the chapter. Ellis has been a Volunteer of the Year award winner and the co-chair of the committee that organizes the Annual International Conference on ADHD for the last four years; she is co-chairing her fifth conference this year. Rhodes served on CHADD's board of directors for four years and chaired the development committee. She coordinated CHADD's twenty-fifth anniversary event, and was awarded the first Above and Beyond Award at the 2017 Annual International Conference on ADHD.

Volunteer Leader of the Year

Kristen Stuppy, MD, FAAP, has been instrumental in the creation and success of ADHDKC, Kansas City's award-winning CHADD chapter. As an enthusiastic and influential promoter of both CHADD and ADHDKC, she attends nearly every parent support group meeting and leads the ADHDKC professional advisory board. She has done everything–from filling goodie bags for conferences, moving and stacking chairs for support group meetings, to creating and giving one of the chapter's best-attended annual talks, ADHD Medication 101. Her most recent venture, the creation and launch of ADHDKCTeen, has been a true labor of love. As kids with ADHD become teens and young adults with ADHD, the need for such a group hits close to home for so many parents. Dr. Stuppy almost singlehandedly developed and implemented every aspect of ADHDKCTeen. She writes frequently about ADHD and other learning and behavioral problems on her blogs on Quest for HealthKC and the ADHDKCTeen website.