Innovation. It is as much a part of the Johnson & Johnson identity as that of the New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia University Medical Center. One researcher with a genuine appreciation of the work and insight needed to break new ground is Dr. John Mann, Chief of the Division of Neuroscience. His already stellar career has gained even further distinction with his selection as Johnson & Johnson’s first Paul Janssen Professor of Translational Neuroscience. The record $5 million award—$2 million of which will support the professorship—will also support fellowships to help the Division bolster existing efforts to develop diagnostic tests and new treatments for neurological disorders. Dr. Mann calls this newly forged relationship between these giants of industry and academia “a winning partnership.”

He heads the NIMH funded Conte Center for the Neuroscience of Mental Disorders, which employs a multidisciplinary approach—brain imaging, neurochemistry and molecular genetics—to develop a predictive and explanatory model for suicidal behavior. He is also Director of the Stanley Center for the Applied Neuroscience of Bipolar Disorders, President of the International Academy of Suicide Research and Chairman of the Scientific Council of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Dr. Mann’s career has been dedicated to bridging the gap between the lab and clinical delivery, what Johnson & Johnson Group Chairman David Norton called “science from the bench to the clinic.” The fellowship, Mann said, will provide the tools needed to make this goal more attainable.