UC Hosts Free Public Forum on Mental Health Research

CINCINNATI--A free public forum on the University of Cincinnati’s (UC) medical campus Sunday, Sept. 14, will give Greater Cincinnatians an opportunity to hear from leading experts about the state of mental health research today.

Healthy Minds Across America is a national day of forums on the progress and promise of mental health research. The forums are being presented at 48 sites across the United States and Canada by NARSAD, previously known as the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression.

The UC event, which features three faculty members from the department of psychiatry, will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. in Room 7051 of the Medical Sciences Building, 231 Albert Sabin Way. Parking will be available nearby at Eden Garage on Eden Avenue.

“We’ll be talking about where research is going and how it can be helpful to people struggling with mental health problems, whether they’re patients or family members,” says Stephen Strakowski, MD, chairman of the psychiatry department and director of the Center for Imaging Research at UC.

Strakowski will moderate the event, which will include question-and-answer sessions with each of the experts. It will cover three topics:

• “Neuroimaging: A Window Into the Causes of Mental Illness,” presented by Caleb Alder, MD, associate professor of clinical psychiatry and co-director of the division of bipolar disorder.
• “Catching Mental Illness Before It Starts: Studying Kids At Risk for Bipolar Disorder,” presented by Melissa DelBello, MD, associate professor of clinical psychiatry and co-director of the division of bipolar disorder.
• “Moving Toward Novel Treatments and Prevention: UC Bipolar Imaging and Treatment Center,” presented by Strakowski.

NARSAD, based in Great Neck, N.Y., is a private, nonprofit public charity organized to raise funds for scientific research into the causes, cures, treatments and prevention of severe psychiatric brain and behavior disorders, such as schizophrenia and depression. Its fundraising and grant-making efforts are led by a board of directors with help from a variety of committees, volunteers, staff and donors.

The day of public forums will kick off a major new fundraising campaign—also called Healthy Minds Across America—which will significantly expand the organization’s capacity to support research on mental illnesses.

“We plan to raise $200 million in the next five years to increase the funds available for critically needed research,” says Constance Lieber, NARSAD’S president emerita, who will chair the campaign.

Reservations are recommended, as seating capacity is limited. To register, e-mail healthyminds@narsad.org or call (800) 829-8289 or (516) 829-0091. NARSAD’s Web site is www.narsad.org.