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STARR Spotlight:
Michelle Roberts - Winner of the Lew Yagodnik Award
Michelle Roberts was awarded this year's Lew Yagodnik Award or ‘Lewie’ -- the only STARR award given to an individual who has distinguished themselves in their exceptional dedication to mental health advocacy.
Michelle is the Senior Director of Patient Advocacy at Teva Pharmaceuticals. Her advocacy work extended beyond traditional boundaries, utilizing social media platforms, public speaking engagements, and collaborations with mental health organizations to reach diverse audiences and provoke conversations about mental health topics including research.
Michelle was selected due to her extraordinary commitment to mental health patient advocacy, spending weeks – months, even - on the road engaging with patients, advocates, and stakeholders, forging relationships and cultivating a network of resources in support of Teva's mental health programs. Michelle has worked diligently to ensure the voice of people living with illness into Teva’s clinical trial design at all phases. This year she has open doors between multiple departments within Teva R&D and US Mental Health Advocacy Groups for surveys and focus groups on what matters to people living with illness. Her input on Teva’s ‘Mental Health Moments’ video series, features people that Michelle has developed relationships with including our friend Matthew Shapiro of NAMI-NYS.
When Michelle hired Debbi, her new associate, she brought her into the STARR community, making sure she did the Auditory Hallucination Simulation empathy exercise, and got an overview of the STARR programs so she could be an active participant in the STARR work on behalf of mental health research advocacy. We love that Michelle includes the STARR in her training, signalling the value she places on the STARR-Teva relationship.
Her deep compassion, her relentless pursuit of insight, and her dedication to connecting with individuals and organizations with shared goals, has resonated with communities nationwide. Her efforts in raising awareness about mental health, coupled with her genuine empathy for those affected, make her a fitting recipient of the Lew Yagodnik Award.
Congratulations, Michelle! ❤
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April is
National Volunteer Month
We LOVE our clinical trial volunteers and this is the month to make sure that they know it!
We all know that without volunteers, clinical studies cannot proceed. But it may interest you to know that APPRECIATING THE VOLUNTEER ALSO HELPS WITH STUDY RETENTION.
Supporting a study participant's role as a partner in the research helps connect a patient's sense of identity to their participation in the study. It requires a very simple shift from treating a participant as a study subject to focusing on their role as a partner and scientific contributor to the clinical trial.
When a participant makes a study part of their personal identity, they are proud to share that "I'm an medical hero" or "I'm helping to fight mental illness." Once an individual has embraced this identity, staying in the study is a point of pride and leaving the study is far less likely. Plus, your participant is far more likely to share the trial info with others!
Incorporating deeper patient-engagement and gratitude has been shown to increase participant satisfaction and feelings of involvement, which are also associated with better compliance.
Be sure to show your volunteers some extra appreciation this month! ❤
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News from the Certified Sites | | |
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The CenExel sites in Georgia celebrated a new community partnership with City of Refuge, a dynamic local non-profit that helps families and individuals transition out of crisis. City of Refuge hosts an annual 5K run, which draws a thousand runners to its campus. The ACMR team arrived in costume to host a table and provide cheer to everyone they passed on the race course.
CenExel ACMR and CenExel iResearch also participated in the fantastic annual Black Health Matters Expo: a day of resource networking and information sharing for all types of health matters. Hundreds of Atlantans spent the day learning about topics specifically applicable to black communities, as well as opportunities such as preventative exercise and clinical trials.
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Pillar Clinical Research's Cici Sanchez of the Bentonville, AR site, participated in the 15th Annual Butterflies & Blooms Luncheon on March 28th, supporting Saving Grace. The event is Saving Grace’s annual spring fundraiser, which helps raise a third of the annual budget for giving young women aging out of foster care or facing homelessness a place to call home. More than 23,000 kids will age out of foster care in 2024, many becoming instantly homeless.
Pillar's Cici Sanchez also represented the Bentonville site at the 5th annual It Takes A Village Recovery Expo and Conference in Rogers, AR on March 30th. The event promotes awareness of the recovery resources in the Northwest Arkansas community.
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ERG Richmond Behavioral Associates' Dr. Smith spoke at the Venture House - Queens, NY location on March 14th. He touched on promoting healthy brain activity, mental illness in general, the advances in medicine surrounding the CNS, and psychotropic medications the side effects.
Venture House is a not-for-profit community based mental health agency, helping adults who are living with mental illness to achieve recovery through improved access to employment, education, recreation, affordable housing, meaningful relationships, and community engagement in an environment of mutual acceptance and empowerment.
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Neuro-Behavioral Clinical Research presented “Memory Loss – What’s Normal, What’s Not” during a Silver Sneakers Lunch and Learn at the Lake YMCA in Uniontown, Ohio, with 50 people in attendance. According to Jim Bentley, Neuro-Behavioral Outreach Director, “this was the most successful Lunch and Learn that we’ve done -- normally only 10-15 people attend.” To compliment the memory loss topic, Neuro-Behavioral provided a “Brain Healthy” dessert of organic yogurt with granola and topped with fresh blueberries and strawberries. The dessert was a huge hit, with several attendees coming back for seconds! There was also a demonstration of the device used in the Cognito HOPE study that utilizes light and sound to reduce the effects of Alzheimer's Disease. | | | |
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CNS Healthcare partnered with Sedano’s Supermarket, a Florida-based Hispanic grocer and "Rumba 100.3", a Central Florida Spanish-language radio format featuring Latin pop, reggaeton and tropical music, owned by iHeartMedia to offer on-site fibroscans to screen for NASH (fatty-liver disease). We parked the mobile unit at a very busy Sedano's location and Rumba 100.3 did a live simulcast right there in the parking lot to draw people in for the free scannings. The event was a huge success and led to the enrollment of 4 patients in one of our NASH trials. We intentionally targeted the Central Florida hispanic population as NASH is most common in this ethnic group. | | |
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CNS Healthcare has developed the SiteCentric tool for sites -- a CTMS+ platform that puts the site first by integrating all aspects of conducting clinical trials into one easy-to-use platform -- trial recruitment, patient recruitment, HIPAA-Compliant patient text messaging, regulatory compliance, eTMF, and site operations! CNS Heatlhcare has finished a year-long multi-site testing phase and is now looking for sites that would like to take SiteCentric for a test drive. Give Florin a shout if you want to check it out!
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CenExel iResearch is thrilled to share that one of our volunteer participants, Rod Barber was recognized as the 2023 Citizen Scientist Catalyst Honoree by Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation!
Citizen Scientist Catalyst Award Honorees are clinical trial patients who fight for the cause and are advocates for trial participation in the community. These volunteers are the life blood of clinical research, and we could not do it without them!
Check out Rod’s story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTm92x1U04w
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STARR Research Ambassador Program
Research Ambassadors are individuals living with a mental illness who have participated in clinical research and are willing to talk about their personal journey, share their clinical research experience, talk about how their participation in a research trial has impacted their lives... and encourage others to join in help shaping the future of cutting-edge treatments.
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The STARR Coalition Research Ambassador Program was originally established to collect testimonials from volunteers in support of mental health research, but it quickly grew into something much bigger.
Volunteers that become Research Ambassadors are engaged on a different level: they identify as a partner in research.
As part of being a STARR Research Ambassador, volunteers help educate others through the following activities:
- Speaking with a STARR Coalition coordinator and sharing your story. This could take place once or over the course of several meetings before, during, and/or after a study.
- Talking to peers about your experience with clinical research to help spread awareness of clinical research as a viable and trust-worthy care option.
- Sharing your journey and experience with researchers to help inspire them to continue to work to find new treatments.
There are lots of ways to participate as a Research Ambassador. It's a fantastic opportunity for volunteers to get involved and contribute to various projects, as well as assist others in their journey! Volunteers' support for others also has a positive impact on their own growth and well-being! ❤
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April Spotlight Podcast
Unseen & Unheard
with Kody Green
The Unseen and Unheard Podcast series' second season is hosted by STARR friend, Kody Green, who lives with schizophrenia. The podcast aims to change the way we see schizophrenia by revealing the untold stories of those actually living with it.
Each episode presents a personal story from one of the millions of adults in the United States going through life with this condition. The hardships. The humanity. But also, the hope.
In the episode we are spotlighting, Kody speaks with Carlos Larrauri, who is one of the original STARR founding advocates, who also lives with schizophrenia. In this episode, Kody and Carlos talk about rebuilding your life, setting goals, and creating a new normal.
Check out the podcast HERE and select the Carlos episode, S2 E2.
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As part of Boehringer Ingelheim's “Look Beyond Stable” campaign, they designed an immersive event New York City, featuring two model apartments in disarray. The beds are unmade, garbage, leftover food and a litany of half-finished drinks are strewn across the floor and furniture, while aluminum foil with tiny holes cover the windows. Additionally, sticky notes are found all over the apartment as reminders of tasks and errands to do, many of which pile up on top of each other. | |
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Visitors to the Look Beyond Stable pop-up got a glimpse of what stable looks like for those living with schizophrenia and learn about the range of negative symptoms including cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS), which represents an as-yet unmet medical need that has significant impacts on people’s lives, often causing them to struggle with day-to-day tasks.
Check out the video from this fantastic event. You may recognize Michelle Hammer, a STARR Founding Advocate, but the video also features Kody Green, a new friend to the STARR Community.
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Eli Lilly taps Amazon Pharmacy to dispense its prescription medicines. It’s the first time Amazon’s pharmacy business has worked directly with a drugmaker, establishing a new kind of direct relationship between the maker of a medication and the tech and retail giant. The new relationship differs from how medications are traditionally prescribed and then dispensed through a retail pharmacy, potentially disrupting elements of those businesses and creating a big business for Amazon Pharmacy. Definitely worth watching how this plays out!
Delta-8-THC use reported by 11% of 12th graders in 2023. Use of the psychoactive cannabis product is higher in states without existing delta-8 regulations or cannabis legalization, NIH-funded study finds. Among those who reported delta-8 use, close to 91% also reported marijuana use, contributing to the approximately 30% of 12th graders overall who reported past-year marijuana use. The survey also showed delta-8 use was more common in the South and Midwest regions and in states without cannabis legalization or delta-8 regulations. In contrast, levels of marijuana use did not differ by state-level cannabis policies.
Over the long term, antipsychotic medicine stabilized functional connectivity in depressed patients with psychosis. Psychosis, often associated with schizophrenia, also occurs in other disorders, including major depression. Psychosis is less well understood in this context, which is to be expected since most depression studies exclude patients who experience psychosis symptoms. A team led by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the University of Toronto, has made a point of studying psychosis in the specific context of major depression.
NIH researchers identify brain connections associated with ADHD in youth. The study found atypical interactions between the frontal cortex and information processing centers deep in the brain. The NIH-led team analyzed brain images supplied by more than 8,000 youth with and without ADHD sourced from six different functional imaging datasets. They found that youth with ADHD had heightened connectivity between structures deep in the brain involved in learning, movement, reward, and emotion and structures in the frontal area of the brain involved in attention and control of unwanted behaviors.
Quality Indicators for Major Depressive Disorder in Adults: A Review of Performance Measures by the American College of Physicians. Eight performance measures are available to evaluate screening, diagnosis, and successful management of MDD. However, many of the performance measures provide low or no value to patient care and have inundated physicians, practices, and systems and burdened them with collecting and reporting of data. Out of 8 performance measures, the ACP’s Performance Measurement Committee found only 1 measure (suicide risk assessment) that was valid at all levels of attribution. This paper presents a review of MDD performance measures and highlights opportunities to improve performance measures addressing MDD management. *STARR Note: sounds like opportunity knocking...
Study Suggests During Sleep, Neural Process Helps Clear the Brain of Damaging Waste. We’ve long known that sleep is a restorative process necessary for good health. Research has also shown that the accumulation of waste products in the brain is a leading cause of numerous neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. What hasn’t been clear is how the healthy brain “self-cleans,” or flushes out that detrimental waste. The findings show that, during sleep, neural networks in the brain act like an array of miniature pumps, producing large and rhythmic waves through synchronous bursts of activity that propel fluids through brain tissue. Much like the process of washing dishes, where you use a rhythmic motion of varying speeds and intensity to clear off debris, this process that takes place during sleep clears accumulated metabolic waste products out.
New study reveals preventable-suicide risk profiles. Individuals with physical health concerns made up the largest and fastest growing of five subgroups of individuals who died by suicide in the United States over roughly twenty years, according to an analysis led by Weill Cornell Medicine in collaboration with Columbia University, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, the University of Hong Kong and University of Kentucky investigators. "We used to think of suicide as being only related to mental health and mental illnesses, but we found that the largest subgroup that die by suicide involves people presenting complaints of physical illnesses," said lead author Dr. Yunyu Xiao, assistant professor of population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine.
The government fast-tracked LSD as an anxiety treatment. MindMed, the first publicly traded pharmaceutical company focused on psychedelics, said its drug has received breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA. MindMed’s MM120 (lysergide d-tartrate) is LSD that has been “pharmacologically optimized” to treat anxiety, and possibly other brain disorders, too, eventually. *STARR Note: this is a fun read with some great info from FastCompany!
Colorado unveils first rules for facilitation of psychedelic therapy. Colorado's legal psychedelic therapy industry is beginning to take shape as regulators recently unveiled the first rules regarding facilitator education, training and licensure. The Department of Regulatory Agencies, or DORA, released a draft of these rules, after a 15-member Natural Medicine Advisory Board spent the better part of a year researching and discussing what they think are best practices for facilitators—the people who guide or advise people using psychedelics in a therapeutic context. The rules outline several types of facilitator licenses that the state anticipates issuing, curriculum requirements for training programs it will approve, and a code of ethics for licensed facilitators in this newly recognized profession. The agency also made recommendations for growing, testing, and labeling psilocybin mushrooms that will be used for therapeutic purposes.
MRI may predict who'll respond best to schizophrenia treatment. Specialized brain scans may accurately predict whether a psychotic patient will go on to develop treatment-resistant schizophrenia, Dutch researchers report. "[T]here is an urgent need for markers to identify treatment non-responders in schizophrenia at an early stage and facilitate timely initiation of clozapine, the only antipsychotic with proven efficacy in non-responders," the team of researchers, led by Marieke van der Plijm, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam wrote in the March 13 issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry.
Analysis of social media language using AI models predicts depression severity for white Americans, but not Black Americans. NIH-supported study also found Black people with depression used different language compared to white people to express their thoughts on Facebook. Researchers were able to predict depression severity for white people, but not for Black people using standard language-based computer models to analyze Facebook posts. Words and phrases associated with depression, such as first-person pronouns and negative emotion words, were around three times more predictive of depression severity for white people than for Black people.
Community mental health nurses in GP surgeries help patients well-being. The research led by Staffordshire University examined anonymized data of over 1,500 patients at a primary care mental health service in North Staffordshire, UK. It follows an NHS initiative to move community mental health teams away from the traditional secondary care service model, to work within new multidisciplinary primary care teams based around doctor's practices that serve smaller neighborhoods. The research found that self-rated scores for mood and anxiety pre-treatment and post-treatment demonstrated that both symptom severity and functioning improved significantly by the end of treatment. Further, 92% of the patients remained within the primary care mental health service throughout treatment, reducing the burden on secondary care mental health services.
PTSD in pregnant women may affect the risk of ADHD in the child. A comprehensive registry study led by the Karolinska Institute, shows that children of women who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) right before or during pregnancy are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD later in life.
Knitting brings calmness and structure to the lives of people with mental illness, shows study. A study from the University of Gothenburg shows that knitting is beneficial for people living with mental health issues. The results show three clear ways in which knitting supports improved health: knitting is found to enable people to unwind. As a hobby, it offers an identity as a knitter and a low-stakes social context. Knitting can also bring structure to people's lives, which improves their mental health.
Lived experience perspectives essential to reducing global mental health stigma, study shows. Media and anti-stigma activities could help combat mental health stigma and discrimination, but only with lived experience involvement, according to research led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London in collaboration with the Global Mental Health Peer Network. "Our findings highlighted the role of language, media, and societal reactions in perpetuating stigma, and emphasized the importance of involving people with lived experience in the production of anti-stigma activities to maximize impact," says Dr. Petra Gronholm, first author of the study and Research Fellow at King's IoPPN.
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Teva Pharmaceuticals' ‘Love Doesn’t Take a Break’ caregivers’ campaign has won four awards at the annual Pharmaceutical Marketing Society Awards, which spotlight outstanding creative communications in pharma and healthcare. The film secured top honors in two categories: External Communications Campaign for a Pharma Company and Patient Support, and silver awards for Disease Awareness (Public/Patients) and Best Use of Insights. The campaign shines a light on caregivers and recognizes the unfailing love that goes into taking care of a loved one. Actor John Rhys-Davies lends his poignant voiceover, drawing from his own real-life experience as a caregiver.
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In March, NAMI released their 'Trends in Mental Health and Criminal Justice State Policy' report on 2023 state legislation as it relates to mental health and the criminal justice efforts. Recommendations are provided in five categories: Diversion, Juvenile Justice, Conditions in Custody, Competency Restoration, and Civil Commitment. Each category includes a description of policymaking trends for that topic followed by highlighted legislation passed in the prior year and links
to additional legislation.
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But wait... let's talk more about research volunteers and the STARR Research Ambassador program!
We know that advocating for themselves and others is beneficial to the volunteers. We also know that many of the volunteers enjoy sharing their stories and talking about their journey to get healthy, which also has a positive impact on their own growth.
With that in mind, we look for other ways that the Research Ambassadors can do this. This month, our friends at Letters to Strangers are looking for submissions to their magazine, Lessons from Strangers, on the theme "Environment & Mental Health."
Submissions are open until April 20th and guidelines can be found here. This is a volunteer opportunity and the magazine is shared for free with global youths in classrooms and student clubs to further education on intersectional mental health.
Please feel free to share this call for submissions with your volunteers! ❤
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Midwest Clinical Research Center, Dayton, Ohio hosted its first Research Ambassador Dinner on March 28th. Six of their seven Research Ambassadors attended the catered dinner and presentation, with a lively roundtable discussion with their Ambassadors, and give-aways. There were four volunteers who had completed multiple schizophrenia trials, and two participants from post-surgical analgesic pain trials.
The highlight of the evening was hearing the positive feedback from the study volunteers, who expressed feeling a sense of empowerment that they were contributing to groundbreaking new therapies. They shared how personally rewarding it was to do something to help others suffering with these conditions. All of them praised Midwest Clinical Research for making them feel safe throughout the study, for supporting them throughout the trials, and making them feel valued. Midwest's study participants are Medical Heroes and we let them know it!
It was interesting to hear the Ambassadors share their experiences regarding getting placebo. One in particular had done two different analgesic pain trials to get no cost bunionectomy surgery. She jokingly shared how she knew she had gotten effective study medication on one trial but felt she definitely had gotten placebo when she had the second foot operated on. Others then joined in about their experience feeling at times they had gotten placebo as they did not see the benefit of the investigational product. They had a good understanding of the importance of many of the trials being double blinded with placebo as a possibility to keep the integrity of the study.
The most exciting part is now that we have officially kicked off the Research Ambassador Program, an extension of The STARR Coalition’s Research Ambassador program, and it's going live across all the Evolution Research Group Sites. Our Ambassadors are equipped with Refer-a-Friend brochures, IRB approved flyers, and a mission to educate and share their journey.
We will continue to support our Ambassadors as they support the mission, educating others that we need more research today for a better tomorrow!
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Stress Awareness Month has been recognized every April since 1992. Learning to cope with our stress and finding healthy ways to deal with these situations can go a long way in living a healthy and positive life.
While stress is often unavoidable, there are ways to manage it so that it doesn’t negatively impact your physical and psychological well-being. Just as stress affects everyone differently, ways to effectively manage stress will vary from person to person. However, there are some commonly agreed-upon techniques:
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Get regular exercise. Just 30 minutes of walking every day can help boost your mood and improve your health. Small amounts of exercise add up, so don’t be discouraged if you can’t do 30 minutes at one time.
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Eat healthy meals and stay hydrated. A balanced diet and plenty of water can improve your energy and focus throughout the day. Also, limit caffeinated beverages such as soft drinks or coffee.
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Make sleep a priority. Stick to a schedule, and make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Blue light from devices and screens can make it harder to fall asleep, so reduce blue light exposure from your phone or computer before bedtime.
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Try a relaxing activity. Explore relaxation or wellness programs or apps, which may incorporate meditation, muscle relaxation, or breathing exercises. Schedule regular times for these and other healthy activities you enjoy such as journaling.
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Set goals and priorities. Decide what must get done now and what can wait. Learn to say “no” to new tasks if you start to feel like you’re taking on too much. Try to be mindful of what you have accomplished at the end of the day, not what you have been unable to do.
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Practice gratitude. Remind yourself daily of things you are grateful for. Be specific. Write them down at night, or replay them in your mind.
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Focus on positivity. Identify and challenge your negative and unhelpful thoughts.
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Stay connected. Reach out to your friends or family members who can provide emotional support and practical help.
NIH has more information available HERE.
April is the month to recognize your stress and stressors and take the time to learn some new coping mechanisms. ❤
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The ADAA conference brings together more than 1,300 leading clinicians and researchers from across the United States and around the globe to present sessions and posters on treatments and potential cures of anxiety, depression, and co-occurring disorders. Join us April 11-14 in Boston to connect and network with your peers, share your expertise, and learn the latest in clinical research.
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2024 Sozosei Summit to Decriminalize Mental Illness will be held April 16-17 in Philadelphia. The Sozosei Foundation hosts the Sozosei Summit to Decriminalize Mental Illness to bring people together in order to decriminalize mental illness. Our convenings are designed to lift diverse voices and create the opportunity to learn from one another and advance solutions. We hope our culture of curiosity, creativity, and intellectual rigor supports data-driven solutions and advances a world where mental illness is not a crime.
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2024 Arkansas Capitol Day, on May 2nd, brings together passionate volunteers to advocate for state policy changes that will improve mental health and prevent suicide. The group will meet with the AR state legislators as part of the event to share with them why suicide prevention is important, educate them about the work being done in our community to prevent suicide, and teach them what more must be done to prevent suicide.
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Join APA May 4-8 for five days of sessions, courses, and more in New York City to leave you feeling inspired, energized, and better prepared. Connect with colleagues and industry experts from around the globe. Choose from 500+ educational sessions led by psychiatry and mental health expert educators. Engage with an array of exhibitors featuring the latest therapeutics and technologies in psychiatry. In addition to the in-person event, the Virtual Annual Meeting will feature live-streams of 100+ select sessions, all accessible from the comfort of your home or office, or anywhere with a secure internet connection.
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ACRP 2024 will be held May 3 - May 6 in Anaheim, CA. The Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) is where clinical researchers go for inspiration, education, and connection.
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American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology (ASCP) 2024 Annual Meeting will be held May 28-31 in Miami Beach, FL. ASCP is the premier meeting in the field of psychopharmacology, bringing together over 900 academic and industry investigators, along with FDA and NIMH regulators, to discuss key aspects of neuropsychiatric drug development, including the impact of diagnostic changes and personalized interventions based on biomarkers or genetic information.
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NAMICon 2024 will engage, challenge and include you in dynamic discussions and inspiring moments. It will introduce you to new ideas and tools you can take with you. It’ll connect you with people who will go from strangers to community—all in the name of mental health awareness, education and advocacy. Join us June 4–6 in Denver for an unforgettable experience.
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At BIO 2024 you can access more than 100 sessions across 18 focus areas with discussions from leading biotechnology companies, investors, service providers, government officials, regulators, and patient advocates committed to ground-breaking therapies and innovation.. Join us June 3-6, 2024 in San Diego.
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MHACon 2024 will be held September 19-21 in Washington D.C. and online. At this year's conference, explore ways to DISRUPT systemic barriers, REFORM harmful practices that prevent progress, and TRANSFORM the current landscape, ensuring everyone has equitable opportunity for optimal mental health and well-being.
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SAMHSA-Sponsored Learning Series
The National Federation of Families, with support from NASMHPD, is working with the National Disability Rights Network, the Association of State and Territory Health Organizations, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness to deliver a series of SAMHSA-sponsored webinars, Person-Centered, Family-Driven Mental Health and Substance Use Support: A Path Towards Equity.
Webinar 1: Mental Health and Substance Use Challenges: Overcoming Challenges to Access for Families
Tentatively scheduled for April 23rd
1:30 – 3:00 p.m. ET.
The National Family Support Technical Assistance Center, led by the National Federation of Families, in partnership with Boston University's Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation published FAMILY Partnerships, a FREE 6-lesson, self-paced online curriculum module. We designed this module to strengthen core skills, tools, and practices for person-centered family partnerships with the behavioral health workforce.
Other NFF Resources:
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Just a reminder: May is right around the corner!
If you haven't already started planning for Mental Health Awareness Month, we can help.
Check out our Mental Health Awareness Month resources page and feel free to use our #MHAM graphics and links: Mental Health Awareness Month page.
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CALL FOR NOMINATIONS!
A Stop the Stigma Champion is a high school student that has demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership by openly discussing mental health issues, challenging stereotypes, and promoting a supportive and understanding environment in their community.
Do you know a high school student that has inspired positive change and created a lasting impact on the school community regarding mental health attitudes and practices? Nominate them by April 15!
The STARR Stop the Stigma Champion winner will be announced on National Mental Health Action Day, May 16th. Visit https://thestarr.org/stopthestigma/ for more information and to nominate someone!
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Update on the STARR Diversity Workgroup:
We have transitioned the Diversity Workgroup from Mallory to Katerina, and have had a few other staff changes including two of the co-chairs. But we’re moving forward with some new members and are working on a couple of new projects.
The first one is related to the FDA’s 2022 draft guidance, “Diversity Plans to Improve Enrollment of Participants from Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Populations in Clinical Trials.” Congress has been putting pressure on the FDA to issue the finalized requirements, one of which is a Diversity Action Plan for new studies.
The STARR Diversity Workgroup has collected the required segments and is putting together a template for our Certified Sites to use as a basis for their Diversity Action Plans, which they can submit to sponsors as part of their feasibility response.
We are also looking at creating a best practices checklist, along with metrics that will help measure progress and objectively evaluate outcomes.
Stay tuned for updates on our progress!
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There is still plenty of time to organize your team for this year's NAMIWalks Spring United Day of Hope!
On May 18th, communities across the country come together for NAMIWalks Spring United Day of Hope. Not only does your participation help to magnify mental health awareness and raise funds for NAMI’s programs, but NAMIWalks are excellent events to come out and engage as part of your community!
Consider being a sponsor and setting up a table with information on your site along with information on the mental illnesses that your site specializes in. This is a great way to bring the community together, offering site resources, and building trust within the community!
Find your state's NAMIWalks event HERE and team up with the mental health advocates in your community! ❤
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The mission of the STARR Coalition is to create meaningful change by increasing COMMUNICATION, PARTNERSHIPS, and GOODWILL among stakeholders in the areas of mental health clinical research, advocacy, and treatment with emphasis on community and advocacy engagement, stigma reduction, and ensuring that research is widely recognized as a trusted care option. ❤
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The STARR Coalition | phone: 501-725-8890 | www.thestarr.org
SHARE, CARE, AND BE KIND.
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