DURHAM, N.H. - Joan Beasley, director of the Center for Systemic, Therapeutic, Assessment, Respite & Treatment (START) Services at the Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire, received the 2010 Frank J. Menolascino Award for Excellence at the National Association of Dual Diagnosis (NADD) Annual Conference in Seattle, Washington this month.

This prestigious national award is given annually to promote excellence in the field of dual diagnosis in the memory of Dr. Frank J. Menolascino, who pioneered international attention to and improvements in the comprehensive, humane care of persons with intellectual/developmental disabilities.

"We are honored that Dr. Beasley has been recognized with this distinction," said Linda Bimbo, IOD interim director. "This award underscores the important national contributions she has made toward strengthening service outcomes for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and mental health needs in the community."   

Beasley has worked to promote the development of effective services for people with disabilities and their families for more than 30 years. Along with the late Robert Sovner, she co-founded the START/Sovner Center program in Danvers, Mass., which she directed from 1989 until 2000. She currently serves as the director of the Center for START Services, now a program at the IOD, and is a research associate professor at the University of New Hampshire.

"I am honored to be acknowledged by NADD, an organization that has pioneered efforts to improve supports to individuals with developmental disabilities and behavioral health care needs and their families for more than 25 years," said Beasley.

The Center for START Services is a national initiative that strengthens efficiencies and service outcomes for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and mental health needs in the community. For more information on the Center for START Services, visit www.centerforstartservices.com.

The Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 to provide a coherent university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. Its mission is to strengthen communities to ensure full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all persons.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a New England liberal arts college and a major research university with a strong focus on undergraduate-oriented research. A land, sea and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.

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