November 9, 2026
We are delighted to announce that the AnDY Research Clinics in Oxford and Reading have won the prestigious Lionel Hersov Memorial Award at the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH) 2026 Awards, held in early November.
The ACAMH Awards celebrate excellence in evidence-based research and clinical practice in child and adolescent mental health, recognising individuals and teams making outstanding contributions to improving the lives of children and young people.
The Lionel Hersov Memorial Award specifically recognises clinical teams that have successfully translated research evidence, audit findings or service evaluation into clinical practice, or demonstrated measurable improvements in clinical outcomes and quality of care.
This award is a fantastic recognition of the AnDY Research Clinics in Oxford and Reading, which work collaboratively to bring together research and clinical practice to improve mental health outcomes for children and young people. Across both sites, the clinics provide specialist assessment and evidence-based psychological interventions for children and young people experiencing anxiety and depression, while embedding research, service evaluation and continuous quality improvement into routine clinical care.
The AnDY Research Clinics in Oxford and Reading have consistently demonstrated strong clinical outcomes, highlighting the benefits of integrating rigorous research with high-quality, accessible mental health services. The award recognises the shared commitment, expertise and achievements of the clinical and research teams across both locations, as well as their close collaboration with university and NHS partners.
Professor Polly Waite, Clinical Research Lead at the AnDY Research Clinic Oxford said:
We are absolutely delighted and honoured to receive the Lionel Hersov Memorial Award. This recognition is a wonderful tribute to the dedication, expertise and compassion of our exceptional clinicians and clinic staff, and to the young people and families who place their trust in us and contribute so generously to our research. The AnDY Research Clinics demonstrate what can be achieved when rigorous research is embedded within high-quality clinical care, ensuring that advances in our understanding of child and adolescent mental health translate into meaningful improvements in treatment. Central to this success has been the invaluable support of the Universities of Oxford and Reading, Oxford Health and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trusts and the NIHR Biomedical Centre (BRC): Oxford Health. This award inspires us to continue improving access to and the effectiveness of evidence-based psychological treatments for children and young people.
The success of the AnDY Research Clinics reflects the strength of the partnership between the Universities of Oxford and Reading, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and the shared commitment to ensuring that children, young people and families benefit directly from advances in mental health research.
We are also delighted that MHID lead Professor Cathy Creswell received the Digital Innovation Award for leading the research and development of OSI, an online, parent-led, therapist-supported psychological intervention for child anxiety and other conditions.
Congratulations also go to AIM project co-lead Eleanor Leigh, who jointly received the JCPP Advances Best Paper Award for a publication exploring social anxiety symptoms and their relationship with suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms in adolescents.
We are equally pleased to see so many MHID colleagues and collaborators recognised among the shortlisted nomineesacross the award categories.
Together, these achievements reflect the shared commitment of the AnDY Research Clinics in Oxford and Reading, MHID and the Oxford Centre for Emerging Minds Research to advancing evidence-based mental health care and improving outcomes for children and young people.