Award Winners 2023

Prof. Irving Kirsch is a leading researcher within the field of placebo studies who is noted for his work on placebo effects, antidepressants, expectancy, and hypnosis. He has published 10 books and more than 250 scientific journal articles and book chapters on placebo effects, antidepressant medication, hypnosis, and suggestion. He originated the concept of response expectancy. His meta-analyses on the efficacy of antidepressants were covered extensively in the international media and influenced official guidelines for the treatment of depression in the United Kingdom. His book, The Emperor’s New Drugs: Exploding the Antidepressant Myth, which has been published in English, French, Japanese, Italian, Turkish, and Polish, was shortlisted for the prestigious Mind Book of the Year award. This outstanding professor not only is one of the most, if not the, most influential and most-cited placebo researchers, he is also and foremost a most respected and supportive scholar, who has inspired, motivated, supported and advised myriads of scientists. And therefore very much deserving this SIPS Lifetime Achievement Award.

Prof. Fabrizio Benedetti has had a long and distinguished career touching many different aspects of neurophysiology and human physiology. Prof. Fabrizio Benedetti's service to the Placebo and Nocebo community, his commitment to the profession and his personal focus on continuous improvement make him a strong choice for this award. He has long been known for his research that induced placebo research all over the world. In particular his work on unraveling the neurobiological mechanisms and showing its potential biological effects has been well-known and acknowledged as well as boosted the field of placebo research. With his inspiring work he has motivated young research talent to further discover this field and shown great clinical implications for application of placebo in practice. Prof. Fabrizio Benedetti has been and still is a trusted colleague expert who provides strong support and advice, which he has done for countless others over the years. His career has spanned more than three decades and he has truly had a major impact on the field of placebo and nocebo. His willingness to take risks, be innovative and embrace change have provided his community with extraordinary knowledge and served as a model for others. Thus, very much deserving the SIPS Lifetime Achievement Award.

Key in dr. Kaya Peerdeman’s work are mechanistic studies bridging fundamental and applied research, with a keen eye for the potential clinical implications of her research. Her versatility and methodological expertise are evidenced by her use of diverse study designs and methods. Importantly, she actively practices and advocates highly rigorous methodology and open science. She has an excellent publication record, with currently 23 published articles in high-quality international peer-reviewed journals, 8 under review, and over 20 more in preparation. The outstanding quality of her work has been acknowledged with various awards. She reaches out beyond academia by regularly giving (invited) lectures and workshops for healthcare professionals and the general public. The societal impact of her work is further illustrated by interviews at national and local radio stations and features in printed and online media. In sum, dr. Kaya Peerdeman is a highly skilled and driven young researcher. Her work stands out by its innovative character and highly rigorous methodology, with an excellent proficiency at theoretical, mechanistic, and clinical levels. Her research provides highly important contributions to placebo studies and has important implications for clinical practice. This SIPS Early Career Award is thus very much deserved to you, dr. Kaya Peerdeman.

Dr. Cosima Locher is unusual as a scientist in her commitment to pursuing conceptual and philosophical questions that move beyond empirical inquiry. She has done this in two ways. First, she is committed to investigating epistemological questions that challenge the robustness of scientific methods. Second, she is unwaveringly committed to questions that pertain to the biggest stakeholder of all in healthcare research – the patient. She has led and co-authored a number of ethics papers about the appropriateness of using placebos in various settings, and among different patient groups. Notably she has pursued ethical considerations relating to placebo use, in both the domain of medical treatments and psychological interventions. She is currently making an essential contribution to improving the current handling of opioids in patients with Chronic Primary Pain. This must be viewed as among primary care’s top priorities, worldwide. Dr. Cosima Locher is on route to becoming an international leader in interdisciplinary health research in placebo studies. Therefore, you definitely very much deserve this SIPS Early Career Award, dr. Cosima Locher.

"Ambulatory assessment of expectations and pain disability in women with endometriosis"

"Special needs by placebo: Programme to advise, normalize and control its Euro"