WAIMH offers awards in recognition of individuals from across the world who have made significant contributions to the infant mental health community in the course of their careers. As an interdisciplinary organization, WAIMH invites nominations from the fields of health, mental health, early care and education, early intervention, hospitals, colleges and universities, and legislatures, to name just a few.
Recently, four WAIMH members were honored with the following awards:
- The WAIMH Award 2026: Sandra Rusconi Serpa
- The Sonya Bemporad Award 2026: Jacqueline D. Shannon
- The René Spitz Award 2026: Mark Tomlinson
- The Serge Lebovici Award 2026: Christine Anzieu-Premmereur
Each awardee was presented their award at the WAIMH 2026 World Congress that was held in Toronto, Canada, from 2-6 October 2026. On behalf of WAIMH, we congratulate the recipients of these awards!
The WAIMH Award 2026: Sandra Rusconi Serpa
The WAIMH Award is given in recognition of significant contributions to the World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH), either directly or through one of the WAIMH Affiliate Associations.
Sandra Rusconi Serpa is a licensed psychologist and specialist in psychotherapy with the Swiss Federation of Psychologists. She is Psychologist, psychotherapist, researcher and trainer. She has held the role of Head of Research Units in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Service at the Geneva University Hospitals and has engaged in research focusing on the evaluation of the effectiveness of brief parent-infant therapies and the analysis of therapeutic processes involved in these interventions.
She has been foundational in disseminating and developing the therapeutic program of Interactive Guidance throughout Europe. She is now president of the AFTGI (Association Francophone de Therapy in Guidance Interactive) and continues to work tirelessly for infants and their families across borders and countries. She is a well-deserving recipient of this year’s WAIMH award.
The Sonya Bemporad Award 2026: Jacqueline D. Shannon
The Sonya Bemporad Award is given in recognition of significant contributions to the advancement of social and public policies that contribute to the mental health and overall benefit of infants, toddlers, and their families.
Throughout her career, Dr. Jacqueline D. Shannon has been exceptional, both in translating scientific research into practice and policy, developing training and mentoring programs, and community forming and sustaining partnerships linked to the fields of infant mental health, early intervention, parenting, and public policy. Dr. Shannon is the founder and Professor in the Department of Early Childhood and Art Education in the School of Education at Brooklyn College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system of higher education.
Her main scholarship focus is the area of early childhood education and infant mental health emphasizing: parent-infant/toddler relationships; the quality and preparation of the early childhood education and infant mental health workforce; the impact of policy on the quality of early intervention, as well as the diverse community contexts within infants and their families live. Dr Shannon’s work mirrors Sonya Bemporad’s efforts, contributions, and outcomes in the field of infant mental health.
The René Spitz Award 2026: Mark Tomlinson
The René Spitz Award is given in recognition of significant lifetime contributions to clinical and/or experimental research on topics related to Infant Mental Health.
Professor Mark Tomlinson, from Stellenbosch University, South Africa also holds a professorship in Maternal and Child Health at Queen’s University Belfast’s School of Nursing and Midwifery. He served on the Lancet Commission on Nurturing Care, which shaped the Nurturing Care Framework developed with UNICEF and WHO.
With nearly 400 peer-reviewed publications, his research examines compromised maternal health, child and adolescent development in high-adversity contexts, and the impact of maternal depression on child development. He pioneered community-based interventions to improve health across the life-course, notably designing the Thula Sana and Khayelitsha study—the first to use mobile phones for real-time data collection by mental health professionals. His significant contribution to the interdisciplinary field of infant mental health, makes him richly deserving of the René Spitz Award.
The Serge Lebovici Award 2026: Christine Anzieu-Premmereur
The Serge Lebovici Award is given in recognition of significant contributions to the international development of Infant Mental Health.
Dr Christine Anzieu-Premmereur is a French and US practicing Child and Adult Psychiatrist, and an Infant and Parent, Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychoanalyst, practicing in New York. Her integrative theoretical-clinical work, over three-plus decades, has traversed disciplines and geographical boundaries, such as Europe, the US, Canada and the UK to name but a few. She has made a major contribution and influence in both anglophone and francophone clinical and research circles, bridging the gaps between French and English-speaking theorists and practitioners.
She is a founder of Pulsion, The International Institute of Psychoanalysis, held several roles on international committees, and supported the launch of the Parent–Infant Psychoanalytic Interventions (PIPI), an international program. Her international networking and promotion of infant mental health internationally, make her richly deserving of the Serge Lebovici Award.
