Blessing Health doctor earns statewide award for groundbreaking work in child psychiatry

QUINCY — Dr. Daniel Boeder, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Blessing Health, recently received the Jay G. Hirsch Memorial Award sponsored by the Illinois Council on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

The award honors the late Jay G. Hirsch, a nationally known psychiatrist who impacted the field of child and adolescent psychiatry for decades. The award honors groundbreaking work in the field of child psychiatry.

Boeder was selected as the award winner based on a paper he submitted regarding treatment of an adolescent patient during his medical residency. The patient developed a rare head-to-toe rash shortly after taking a psychiatric medication.

In a press release, Boeder said, “The important aspect of the paper was how the case was managed. Because it was so unusual – with its rapid progression and not being typical of this medication or the patient population – I felt I needed to share the information with other providers.”

Boeder says he is not a prolific academic writer as are other colleagues.

“Being selected the Hirsch Award winner was a huge honor,” he said. “Some of the people I met at the award ceremony have been practicing psychiatry for decades. Just shaking their hands was an honor.”

A recent graduate of Southern Illinois University, where he also completed residency, Boeder completed a fellowship in adolescent psychiatry before joining Blessing Health earlier this year.