Joshua Wortzel, M.D., a fellow in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship, has been selected as one of five recipients of the annual Haffenreffer Family House Staff Excellence Award from Rhode Island Hospital. The award – which was instituted in 1946 and has been awarded continually since 1967 – recognizes residents and fellows in their final year of training who demonstrate excellence in clinical care, leadership, research, and teaching. Candidates are nominated by their program directors or department chairs. 

"This award is really a testament to just how supportive, pioneering, and flexible the Brown Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior has been in helping me pursue my passion to study and advocate for the emerging field of climate change and mental health while teaching me how to be a child and adolescent psychiatrist," says Wortzel, who leads multiple efforts on climate change and mental health. "I am so grateful to my Brown family and hope to keep connected and collaborating after I graduate."

Upon graduation, Wortzel will split his time between research and clinical work with the Institute of Living’s Young Adult Intensive Outpatient Program. He is currently designing a study with mentors at the Institute of Living, Brown, and Yale to use wearable devices to assess the relationship between ambient temperature, sleep, and self-reported mood in young adults.