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O’Leary Award for Innovation in Psychiatry

American Psychiatric Association Foundation

The O'Leary Award for Innovation in Psychiatry was established by the APA Foundation with support of the O’Leary family during June 2022. The award provides seed money to launch innovative ideas in the field of mental and behavioral health.

The award is named for the late Dr. Paul J. O’Leary, M.D. Dr. O’Leary served as APA Assembly Speaker and Vice Chair of the Executive Committee; as a member of the APA Committee on Advocacy and Litigation Funding; as a member of the APA Political Action Committee Board of Directors; and as a member of the APA Delegation to the American Medical Association.

Notably, Dr. O’Leary, who’s mantra was “Never worry alone” received the APA Assembly Member-in-Training (MIT) Mentor Award for his work with residents and early career psychiatrists in 2013, and the 2022 Ira J. Myers Service Award posthumously from the Alabama State Medical Association.

Applications open May 30.

APA Component(s)

APA Assembly

Program Benefits

$5,000 (seed money), Plaque

Nomination / Application Details

Submissions should include responses to the following:

Statement of Need: What is the opportunity or problem to be addressed, the need for the idea or innovation, and how was that need determined?
Goals and Objectives:
- What are the specific goals and objectives for the seed funding?
- What are the specific, measurable activities to accomplish these objectives?
- Indicate how the objectives will improve efficiency and/or access to care.

Application Open Date

May 30

Deadline

August 15

Award Presentation

The Paul O'Leary Innovation in Psychiatry Award will be presented at APA’s Annual Meeting

AI Based Application Success Predictor

🧠 1. Strong Focus on Mental Health & Psychiatry (Non-Negotiable)

Projects must directly address:
- Mental health, psychiatry, or behavioral health
Includes:
- Mental illness awareness
- Prevention and early intervention
- Access to care

👉 Non-mental health projects → not competitive

🌍 2. Health Equity & Underserved Populations (Top Predictor)

Core mission:
- Improve mental health equity and access
Strong priority for:
- Underserved or minority communities
- Youth, especially young people of color

👉 Key question:
“Does this reduce disparities in mental health care?”

🎯 3. Community-Based, Real-World Impact (Critical)

APAF primarily funds:
- Community programs and applied interventions
Successful proposals:
- Deliver services in:
  - Schools
  - Communities
  - Faith/workplace settings

👉 Practical implementation > theoretical research

🚀 4. Innovation in Mental Health Outreach & Engagement

High success for projects that:
- Use novel approaches to:
  - Reduce stigma
  - Increase engagement
  - Deliver care

👉 Innovation must be scalable and community-relevant

🤝 5. Strong Community Partnerships (Major Differentiator)

Funded programs often:
- Collaborate with:
  - Local organizations
  - Schools
  - NGOs

👉 Partnerships increase:

Trust
Reach
Sustainability

👥 6. Focus on Awareness, Education & Stigma Reduction

APAF emphasizes:
- Mental health literacy and awareness
Examples:
- Workshops
- Peer-led programs
- Training initiatives

👉 Projects that normalize mental health conversations score highly

🧪 7. Feasible, Small-Scale, High-Impact Projects

Typical funding:
- ~$5K–$10K grants
Must:
- Deliver measurable outcomes in:
  - Short timeframes

👉 Overly complex or large-scale research → less competitive

📊 8. Measurable Outcomes & Evaluation Plan

Strong proposals include:
- Clear metrics such as:
  - Engagement
  - Behavior change
  - Access improvement

👉 Outcome tracking is expected in funded programs

👩‍⚕️ 9. Early-Career & Student Engagement (Major Priority)

Many programs target:
- Medical students, trainees, and early-career professionals
Example:
- Student-led Helping Hands Grants

👉 Leadership development is a key evaluation factor

🌐 10. Cultural Competency & Inclusivity (Key Strategic Factor)

Strong emphasis on:
- Culturally appropriate mental health services
Includes:
- Language accessibility
- Community-specific interventions

👉 Cultural alignment improves success rates

📈 11. Sustainability & Scalability

Preference for:
- Programs that can:
  - Continue beyond funding
  - Be replicated in other communities

👉 Long-term impact strengthens applications

📊 Summary: Key Predictors (Ranked)

Highest impact factors:

Mental health focus
Health equity / underserved populations
Community-based impact

Moderate predictors:
4. Innovation in outreach
5. Partnerships
6. Awareness & education

Supporting factors:
7. Feasibility
8. Measurable outcomes
9. Early-career involvement

💡 Insider Insight

Compared to NIH or research-heavy funders:

American Psychiatric Association Foundation is:
👉 community + equity + implementation focused
👉 less about lab research, more about real-world mental health impact

👉 Winning formula:
Equity-focused idea + community implementation + measurable impact + strong partnerships

✔️ What wins:

Community mental health programs
Youth-focused and equity-driven initiatives
Culturally tailored interventions

❌ What struggles:

Pure academic research
Lack of community engagement
No measurable outcomes

Specialties

Psychiatry

Eligibility Requirements

Open to all APA members at all levels of their careers. Non-members are welcome to nominate an APA member.

The strongest award nominations will reflect Dr. O’Leary’s values and will include business ideas that:

improve the efficiency of behavioral health care teams;
improve and expand access to care, and leverage economies of scale;
address crisis de-escalation, stabilization, and wrap-around services to support recovery.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: American Psychiatric Association Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 800 Maine Avenue, S.W., Suite 900, Washington, DC 20024

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