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Christopher D. Webster Rising Star Awards for Early Career Professionals (ECPs) in Forensic Mental Health
The Christopher Webster Early Career Award honours Dr. Christopher Webster, who passed away February 20, 2024. Dr. Webster was an internationally respected scholar whose pioneering contributions to the field of violence risk assessment are well known to members of the Association and to the broader forensic mental health community. Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Webster was a valued colleague to professionals across many countries. His publications and lectures have provided enduring insights and have significantly advanced our understanding of risk, violence, and mental health. Of particular relevance to the purpose of this Award, Dr. Webster acted as an exemplary role model and mentor to several scholars and practitioners as they were embarking on their careers.
We honour his generosity of spirit, the quality of his work, and his instrumental role as a mentor by presenting this award at the annual meeting of the Association. IAFMHS awards two (02) Christopher D. Webster Rising Star Awards for Early Career Professionals (ECPs) in Forensic Mental Health each year. These awards acknowledge individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field at an early stage in their careers.
Award Categories
Early Excellence in Research: The Christopher D. Webster Rising Star Award for Excellence in Research recognizes an ECP whose contributions to forensic mental health research demonstrate exceptional promise.
We are pleased to announce this year’s Christopher Webster Rising Star Early Excellence in Research Award winner isDr. Marichelle Leclair, Canada
Marichelle Leclair, PhD, is an assistant professor at the Université du Québec en Outaouais and a researcher at the Institut national de psychiatrie légale Philippe-Pinel. With a background in psychology and public health, her work focuses on addressing systemic violence at the intersection of health and justice. She leads participatory, community-partnered research with Indigenous knowledge keepers and community partners, people with lived experience, families, service providers, and policymakers to help transform systems still shaped by stigma, coercion, and exclusion. Her current research program, Innovating by, with, and for: Improving mental health services for justice-involved people, is supported by a provincial Junior 1 Research Scholar Award. She has secured over $1.5 million in competitive national and provincial research funding as principal investigator or co-investigator. Through collaborations in Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand, and Scotland, Marichelle conducts fieldwork and helps design new models of care that can inform policy, practice, and system reform. Across all her projects, she’s committed to research that doesn’t just describe systems but works to change them. |  |
Early Excellence in Policy Work: The Christopher D. Webster Rising Star Award for Excellence in Clinical or Policy Work recognizes an ECP whose contributions have had a meaningful impact on forensic mental health practice, service delivery, and/or policy development. We are pleased to announce the inaugural award winner for this year’s Christopher Webster Rising Star Early Excellence in Policy Work isDr. Samantha Zottola, United States |
Samantha A. Zottola, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Associate at Policy Research Associates, Inc. (PRA), USA. Dr. Zottola earned a PhD in Psychology from North Carolina State University and an MA in Clinical Psychology from Cleveland State University. Prior to joining PRA, she worked as a postdoctoral research scholar with the Center for Family and Community Engagement at North Carolina State University. She recently completed a four-year term as assistant editor and editor of the IAFMHS newsletter. Dr. Zottola works on issues related to court processes, bail reform, pretrial risk assessments, and the behavioral health outcomes of people involved with the criminal legal system. She has collaborated with state and local governments across the United States on efforts to implement and reform a range of court and jail policies. |
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