Autism specialist receives lifetime achievement award

Peter E. Tanguay, M.D., an emeritus professor of psychiatry at the University of Louisville, was awarded the George Tarjan Award for Contributions in Mental Retardation by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry during a ceremony and public honors lecture held Oct. 26 at the AACAP's meeting in San Diego, Calif.

Tanguay was recognized for his internationally known work in the field of autism and related disorders.

He was an expert consultant on the 1998 film "Rain Man" starring Dustin Hoffman, which won four Academy Awards.

The Tarjan Award, named for the late George Tarjan, M.D., recognizes an academy member who has made significant contributions to the understanding or care of those with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

Tarjan, a pioneer in the field of autism and related disorders, mentored Tanguay during the first two decades of his academic career at the University of California Los Angeles.

Tanguay's honors lecture focused on his recent work in converting the diagnostic criteria for autism and related disorders from a category-based approach to one that recognizes these disorders as a spectrum.

Tanguay joined UofL in 1994 as the Ackerly Endowed Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Tanguay received his M.D. from the University of Ottowa, Ontario, and completed his residency at UCLA. He is a past director of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is a fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists.