Selected Awards and Honors Received by David Mechanic
| 1956 | Ward Medal in Sociology, City College of New York |
| 1971 | Member, Institute of Medicine |
| 1974–75 | Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences |
| 1977 | Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science |
| 1977–78 | John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship |
| 1983 | Distinguished Medical Sociologist Award, Medical Sociology Section, American Sociological Association |
| 1987 | Distinguished Service Award, Melvyn H. Motolinsky Research Foundation |
| 1987 | Rutgers University Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Research |
| 1990 | Carl Taube Award, Mental Health Section, American Public Health Association |
| 1990 | Founding member, National Academy of Social Insurance |
| 1991 | Distinguished Contributions Award, Mental Health Section, Society for the Study of Social Problems |
| 1991 | Distinguished Investigator Award, Association for Health Services Research |
| 1991 | Emily Mumford Medal for Distinguished Contributions to Social Science in Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University |
| 1991 | Member, National Academy of Sciences |
| 1993 | Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences |
| 1994 | Lifetime Achievement Award, Mental Health Section, American Sociological Association |
| 1996 | Distinguished Fellow, Association for Health Services Research |
| 1997 | Health Services Research Prize, Association of University Programs in Health Administration and the Baxter Allegiance Foundation |
| 1998 | Ian Potter Foundation Scholar, University of Melbourne, Australia |
| 2001 | Distinguished Career Award for the Practice of Sociology, American Sociological Association |
| 2002 | Highly Cited Researcher, Institute for Scientific Information |
| 2003 | Daniel Gorenstein Memorial Award, Rutgers University |
| 2003 | Rema Lapouse Award, American Public Health Association |
| 2004 | Benjamin Rush Award and Lecture, American Psychiatric Association |
| 2006 | Inaugural lecture and award, Matilda White Riley Lecture in the Behavioral and Social Sciences, National Institutes of Health |
| 2008 | Adam Yarmolinsky Medal, Institute of Medicine |
| 2009 | Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health, Institute of Medicine |
| 2013 | Mental Health Policy Award, Mental Health Association of New York |
| 2014 | John Eisenberg Legacy Lecture, University of California, San Francisco |
| 1956 | Ward Medal in Sociology, City College of New York |
| 1971 | Member, Institute of Medicine |
| 1974–75 | Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences |
| 1977 | Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science |
| 1977–78 | John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship |
| 1983 | Distinguished Medical Sociologist Award, Medical Sociology Section, American Sociological Association |
| 1987 | Distinguished Service Award, Melvyn H. Motolinsky Research Foundation |
| 1987 | Rutgers University Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Research |
| 1990 | Carl Taube Award, Mental Health Section, American Public Health Association |
| 1990 | Founding member, National Academy of Social Insurance |
| 1991 | Distinguished Contributions Award, Mental Health Section, Society for the Study of Social Problems |
| 1991 | Distinguished Investigator Award, Association for Health Services Research |
| 1991 | Emily Mumford Medal for Distinguished Contributions to Social Science in Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University |
| 1991 | Member, National Academy of Sciences |
| 1993 | Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences |
| 1994 | Lifetime Achievement Award, Mental Health Section, American Sociological Association |
| 1996 | Distinguished Fellow, Association for Health Services Research |
| 1997 | Health Services Research Prize, Association of University Programs in Health Administration and the Baxter Allegiance Foundation |
| 1998 | Ian Potter Foundation Scholar, University of Melbourne, Australia |
| 2001 | Distinguished Career Award for the Practice of Sociology, American Sociological Association |
| 2002 | Highly Cited Researcher, Institute for Scientific Information |
| 2003 | Daniel Gorenstein Memorial Award, Rutgers University |
| 2003 | Rema Lapouse Award, American Public Health Association |
| 2004 | Benjamin Rush Award and Lecture, American Psychiatric Association |
| 2006 | Inaugural lecture and award, Matilda White Riley Lecture in the Behavioral and Social Sciences, National Institutes of Health |
| 2008 | Adam Yarmolinsky Medal, Institute of Medicine |
| 2009 | Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health, Institute of Medicine |
| 2013 | Mental Health Policy Award, Mental Health Association of New York |
| 2014 | John Eisenberg Legacy Lecture, University of California, San Francisco |