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Sponsors, CRO’s, and advocacy partners are reading the newsletter: we send it out to 3,500+/- contacts and have an average open rate of around 50%! We are constantly adding to and updating the contact database.
In case you missed our newsletters, take some time to browse them below:
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The STARR November Newsletter includes info on National Family Caregivers Appreciation Month, the latest STARR Podcast on a Family Caregiver, Benefits of Volunteering, the Latest News from the Certified Sites, much more!
November is National Family Caregiver Appreciation Month and we’ve included information on caregivers and tools to supporting caregivers.
In honor of Caregiver Appreciation Month, Mallory spoke with Roselyn Coe for this month’s podcast. It’s a moving conversation with a look into the life of a caregiver to a son living with paranoid schizophrenia.
We’ve also got a feature on STARR Advocacy Board member and DBSA staff, Kimberly King, whose son lives with depression and ADHD.
A fundamental aspect of the STARR Site Certification is community engagement and volunteering. With that in mind, we’ve got a special feature on the Benefits of Volunteering: Help Yourself By Helping Others. Not only will you forge relationships and cultivate a positive presence within the community through charitable work, but corporate volunteering programs are a powerful tool for fostering happier, healthier workplaces.
This month’s News from the Certified Sites section includes news from CNS Healthcare, CenExel ACMR and iResearch, Pillar Clinical Research, ERG Woodland International, and Neuro-Behavioral Clinical Research.
Don’t miss this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, where we recap some of the more pertinent news items you may have missed in last month, including an item on new research on oral contraceptives’ effect on the brain’s fear center and novel schizophrenia insights from brain organoids and genes.
Finally, check out the latest Upcoming Events list – it’s the fall conference season and we’ve got the list of the events that you can’t miss!
Check out the November 2023 Newsletter here.
The STARR October Newsletter includes info on National Depression Education & Awareness Month and World Mental Health Day, the latest STARR Podcast, a New Advocacy Spotlight, the Latest News from the Certified Sites, much more!
October is chock full of mental health awareness events including National Depression Education and Awareness, Mental Health Screening Month, Health Literacy Month, ADHD Awareness Month, Bullying Prevention Month, along with Mental Illness Awareness Week, OCD Awareness Week, National Depression Screening Day, and World Mental Health Day! We didn’t cover them all in the newsletter, but we’ve got some info on Depression Awareness and World Mental Health Day.
In honor of National Depression Education and Awareness Month, Mallory spoke with Dr. Scott Fisher, lead psychiatrist and facilitator at the Center for Psychedelic and Cannabis Research for October’s Spotlight Podcast. It’s a great podcast with info on psychedelic research and what is involved with setting up a site for psychedelic research.
This month’s Advocacy Spotlight is on the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, or DBSA, and an individual within the organization that has lived experience with mental health struggles and triumph. Douglas Hulst, Peer Recovery Workforce Development Senior Program Manager, has lived with depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance disorder.
To help confront the rural mental health emergency, our friends at Rural Minds present a Suicide and Prevention Training Webinar, providing suicide awareness and prevention training from Becky Wiseman, LCSW-R, a mental health professional with an approach that’s relevant to people living in rural communities.
Also, on a topic that is very near and dear to us, we are happy to present an article, ‘Peer Respite Facilities Gaining Traction and Recognition in Mental Health Care Continuum’. Peer-supported or peer-run mental health or respite facilities are an option that is gaining traction in several states struggling with a significant rise in behavioral health emergency department visits along with an overwhelmed workforce.
In a supporting item, The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) released a report supporting Peer Support and providing data on the financial impacts of including peer support staff at community mental health centers.
An update on Congress’ approved continuing resolution (CR) to ensure the government’s continued operation until November 17, from the American Brain Coalition (ABC). ABC will keep us apprised on any Congressional funding agreement (or need for another CR before funding expires on November 17) — while a government shutdown was averted this time, one is still possible in the coming months. The House majority is committed to voting on individual appropriations bills, but it remains uncertain whether the Labor, HHS, and Education (LHHS) or Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) bills will be addressed before the new deadline.
This month’s News from the Certified Sites section includes news from NTXCT, Neuro-Behavioral Clinical Research, CenExel iResearch, Pillar Clinical Research, Segal Trials, and CNS Healthcare.
Don’t miss this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, where we recap some of the more pertinent news items you may have missed in last month, including an item on new research suggests that highly processed packaged foods and drinks are likely to up the risk for depression by as much as 50%, and predicting PTSD using brain scans to unravel trauma’s long-term effects.
Finally, check out the latest Upcoming Events list – it’s the fall conference season and we’ve got the list of the events that you can’t miss!
Check out the October 2023 Newsletter here.
The September Newsletter is out with info on Suicide Prevention Month, National Recovery Month, and World Alzheimer’s Month! Check out the latest STARR Podcast, an Alzheimer’s Research Spotlight, a New Advocacy Spotlight, News from the Certified Sites, much more! !
September is Suicide Prevention Month, National Recovery Month, and World Alzheimer’s Month and we’ve got features on each. To help spread awareness and bring attention to Suicide, we’ve got a special podcast featuring Jacqueline Sharp, the chapter director for the Arkansas AFSP, as well as a STARR Advocacy Board member. Jacqueline brings her usual enthusiasm, making the conversation around 988 and AFSP updates extra delightful to listen to!
For Alzheimer’s Month, we’ve got a special guest writer from NTXCT who has a passion for Alzheimer’s research. Ethan Barrett has seen first-hand the impact of the disease on individuals and their families, which has sparked a side interest in the caregiver role in the overall strategy for supporting those with Alzheimer’s Disease.
We are delighted to shine a spotlight on new STARR Advocacy Board member, Jeff Winton of Rural Minds. Rural Minds is working to confront the mental health challenges in rural communities across the country, where suicide rates are 64% to 68% higher compared to people living in urban areas. We are excited to have Rural Minds join the STARR Community and are looking forward to bringing you more information on this great organization moving forward!
This month’s News from the Certified Sites section includes news from CNS Healthcare, CenExel ACMR, Neuro-Behavioral Clinical Research, Pillar Clinical Research, and Segal Trials.
Don’t miss this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, where we recap some of the more pertinent news items you may have missed in last month, including an item on a breakthrough project mapping brain changes in nearly 1,300 people diagnosed with six different types of mental illness, which has revealed the extraordinary diversity of brain changes found in people with conditions like major depression and schizophrenia.
We pulled together information from a few sources to bring you an article on ICER’s analysis of Karuna Therapeutics’ schizophrenia treatment. We’re not feeling particularly positive about the analysis – you’ll see why in the article.
And what’s up with Medicare’s price negotiation on 10 of the most life-saving medicines? We’ve got some data for you.
Finally, check out the latest Upcoming Events list and a couple of interesting (and relevant) companies that made Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards.
Check out the September 2023 Newsletter here.
STARR August 2023 News: Overdose Awareness Month, Dr. Jill AAAS Appointment, Equitable Access to Mental Health Report, News from the Certified Sites, and so much more!
August is Overdose Awareness Month and we’ve got the tips to support overdose awareness. We can all take action to address the overdose epidemic and enhance our support for individuals facing substance use disorder so that we can save lives.
We are thrilled to share the news of Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman’s AAAS Fellow Appointment! The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.
We wanted to make sure that you saw the new report, “Equitable Access to Mental Health and Substance Use Care: An Urgent Need” released by The Bowman Family Foundation. The report, based on a survey of 2,794 patients, provides startling new data on the pervasive disparities between mental and other health care, including this horrifying statistic: “Nearly 70% of adolescents who sought mental health or substance use care did not receive any care on at least one occasion, compared to less than 20% of those seeking physical health care.”
Do you know about the Brain Donor Project? Seriously – we are all involved in some form of mental health research and advocacy, so this should be a no-brainer (haha) for us. You’ve got to register to be a brain donor and we’ve got the link for you here.
COVID has made this more noteworthy: September is also National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). We can all help highlight the importance of routine vaccinations for people of all ages! Many people simply want reassurance from people they trust that vaccines are safe and effective. A strong, clear recommendation is usually enough, but others may need more information.
As always, we’ve got updated News from the Certified Sites section, with news from NTXCT, CenExel ACMR and iResearch, Neuro-Behavioral Clinical Research, CNS Healthcare, and Segal Trials.
Don’t miss this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, where we recap some of the more pertinent news items you may have missed in last month, along with the latest Upcoming Events list, a note from our friends at the American Brain Coalition, and a new Survey for Sites, which poses the question, “Would your site utilize a STARR-sponsored training program for clinical research assistants?”
Check out the August 2023 Newsletter here.
STARR July 2023 News: BIPOC Mental Health Month, 1-Year Anniversary of 988, New Podcast, Update on the STARR Advocacy Board, FDA Diversity Requirements, News from the Certified Sites, and so much more!
July is BIPOC Mental Health Month and we’ve got the links to activities and events that bring awareness to and support the mental health of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Learning about how culture and identity factors affect mental health is the first step to addressing inequality and ensuring everyone has access to mental health care.
July 16th marks the 1-year anniversary of 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. We took a deep dive into how the new number is impacting those in crisis, how the system works from a Lifeline counselor’s perspective, the general uptake, and what is needed going forward.
In honor of BIPOC Mental Health Month, Mallory sat down with Carmine Johnson, an African American woman living with bipolar disorder. Take a moment to meet Carmine and hear her story!
We’re shining a spotlight on the STARR Advocacy Board and providing an update on what the group has been working on. We’re especially excited about the new Board members and the connections we’re fostering between advocacy and clinical research.
We know there’s been a lot of activity around diversity in clinical trials with the FDA’s draft guidelines, but did you know that Congress will be requiring the implementation of the diversity plans? It could start by the end of 2023, so we’ve got tips on what you will need to meet the new requirements.
As always, we’ve got updated News from the Certified Sites section, with news from Pillar Clinical Research, CenExel iResearch, Segal Trials, and CenExel RCA.
Don’t miss this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, where we recap some of the more pertinent news items you may have missed in last month, along with the latest Upcoming Events list, a recap from NAMICon, an introduction to the Association of Diversity in Clinical Trials, and a new Survey for Sites, which poses the question, “Does your site have any trouble enrolling BIPOC individuals in your mental health studies?”
Check out the July 2023 Newsletter here.
STARR June 2023 News: Spotlight on Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman, the Lew Yagodnik Award Winner, Pride Month and PTSD Awareness Month, Importance of Clinical Research for PTSD, New Podcast, Trauma: A Universal Language, Stop the Stigma Champion Award, News from the Certified Sites, and so much more!
We are delighted to shine the spotlight on Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman, this year’s Lew Yagodnik Award Winner! Not only is Dr. Jill a passionate advocate for suicide prevention and education programs, but she has been one of the STARR’s biggest champions and is always willing to go the extra mile for the STARR community.
For PTSD Awareness Month, we’ve included a couple of articles including ‘Importance of Clinical Research for PTSD’ by Sara Swanson of Segal Trials, ‘Trauma: A Universal Language’, excerpted from the Trauma Super Conference, along with resources and information from our advocacy partners, DBSA, MHA, and NAMI.
Of course, June is Pride Month and we’ve got a great new podcast with Molly Little of Neuro-Behavioral Clinical Research, who chats with Mallory about the challenges, barriers, and resources for LGBTQ individuals, all from her perspective as a member of the LGBTQ community.
We are also serving up the inaugural STARR Stop The Stigma Champion! This new annual award will be given to 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. We are so proud of this year’s Champion, Megan Beck. Check out the info and learn more on the linked website.
As always, we’ve got updated News from the Certified Sites section, with news from of Richmond Behavioral Associates, Segal Trials, Neuro-Behavioral Clinical Research, and shots from the Pillar Clinical Research and CenExel teams in Miami for ASCP.
Don’t miss this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, where we recap some of the more pertinent news items you may have missed in last month, along with the latest Upcoming Events list, a new HiddenBrain podcast on overcoming invisible obstacles to new ideas, and a new Survey for Sites, which poses the question, “Do you survey your research volunteers during or after the clinical trial?” Please take a moment to provide your answer, as we could really use your input!
Check out the June 2023 Newsletter here.
STARR May 2023 News: Advocacy Responds Roundtable, Celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month, Welcoming New Corporate Member Boehringer Ingleheim, Spotlight on Midwest Clinical Research, New Podcast, News from the Certified Sites, and so much more!
We are excited to kick off National Mental Health Awareness Month – aka May – with an interactive Advocacy Roundtable! We’ve got leaders from three distinct advocacy organizations who will be chatting about ways to engage with your local community, develop valuable relationships, and build trust in mental health research.
For Mental Health Awareness Month, we’ve included resources and information from our advocacy partners, DBSA, MHA, and NAMI.
We are delighted to announce that Boehringer Ingelheim has joined the STARR Community as a new corporate member! We’re looking forward to working with the BI team to support their site network.
This month’s Site Spotlight is on Midwest Clinical Research and their new business administrator, Robin Griffin. Robin, who is on the board of the local NAMI Montgomery County, is enthusiastic about supporting the community and raising awareness of the benefits of mental health clinical research.
May’s STARR Podcast features our friend and Coalition member, Steve Miccio of People USA. Steve chats about People-USA’s Forensic Mobile Crisis & Response Team and discusses the need, planning, staffing, and outreach that his Mobile Team addresses for individuals in his community living with mental illness.
We’ve got updated News from the Certified Sites section, with news from of Midwest Clinical Research, Segal Trials, Neuro-Behavioral Clinical Research, and CNS Healthcare.
Don’t miss this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, where we recap some of the more pertinent news items you may have missed in last month, along with the latest Upcoming Events list, and a new Survey for Sites, which poses the question, “Do you work with the local community behavioral health centers?” Please take a moment to provide your answer, as we could really use your input!
Check out the May 2023 Newsletter here.
STARR April 2023 News: Congratulating the 2022 STARR Advocate of the Year: The National Federation of Families, Celebrating National Volunteer Month, Welcoming New STARR Community Members, Spotlight on The Key Clubhouse of S. Florida, News from the Certified Sites, and so much more!
This month, we are featuring this year’s STARR Advocate of the Year, The National Federation of Families, announced at the annual STARR Awards Celebration, held Thursday, December 22nd. The National Federation of Families (NFF) is a national family-run organization linking more than 120 state and local affiliates and national partners focused on the issues of children and youth with emotional, behavioral, or mental health needs and substance use challenges and their families. NFF was recognized for their ongoing and enthusiastic support of the STARR’s mission and advocacy efforts. Learn more about NFF and the outstanding work they do on behalf of the families and caregivers of children with mental illnesses.
April is National Volunteer Month and if there is one thing we love, it’s those intrepid souls that volunteer for mental health research! We are acutely aware of the barriers to mental health research, in particular, so recognizing and celebrating those that that participate in research is so important!
We are delighted to shine a spotlight on one of our Research Ambassadors this month. Charles feels really good about research and is more than happy to talk to friends and peers about it. Don’t miss this excellent Q&A!
April is also Stress Awareness Month and we’ve included some tips and links to help destress your life. Along these lines, don’t miss the Hidden Brain’s Happiness 2.0: The Reset Button podcast. It isn’t short (it’s almost an hour), but trust us when we say that it is so worth it.
Mallory and Erica were interviewed on ABC’s ‘Voices for the Brain’ Podcast series and we’ve included that link, in case you missed it.
We’ve got an updated News from the Certified Sites section, with news out of Woodland NW, NBCR, NTXCT, and Midwest. We are especially happy to share that the STARR hosted an Auditory Hallucination Simulation empathy exercise with some of the NTXCT staff and it was a fantastic experience!
Don’t miss this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, where we recap some of the less publicized but pertinent news items you may have missed in last month, along with the latest Upcoming Events list, and a new Survey for Sites, which poses the question, “How much appreciation does your site show to your study volunteers?” Please take a moment to provide your answer, as we could really use your input!
Check out the April 2023 Newsletter here.
STARR March 2023 News: Congratulating CNS Healthcare, the 2022 STARR Site of the Year, Celebrating Disability Awareness Month and Women’s History Month, Spotlight on ERG’s STARR 911 training, Shout-out to some of our Certified Sites’ efforts in the community, a new Monthly Survey Question, News You May Have Missed, and so much more!
We are excited to feature this year’s STARR Sponsor of the Year, CNS Healthcare, announced at the annual STARR Awards Celebration, held Thursday, December 22nd. CNS-HC was recognized for their phenomenal community outreach, supporting community activities and events, and offering education on mental illnesses and mental health clinical research.
February is both Disability Awareness Month and Women’s History Month. We spotlighted some of the women that make up the STARR community in the newsletter and on our social media platforms… if you aren’t following the STARR on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook, take a moment to check in now!
We had some really great news updates from the Certified Sites, with items on CenExel iResearch, North Texas Clinical Trials, Midwest Clinical Research, and Segal Trials!
Don’t miss this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, where we recap some of the less publicized but pertinent news items you may have missed from February.
We’ve the latest Upcoming Events list, and March’s Site Survey, which poses the question: what is the greatest challenge for newly hired research staff? Please take a moment to provide your feedback!
Check out the March 2023 Newsletter here.
STARR February 2023 News: Congratulating the 2022 STARR Sponsor of the Year: Otsuka, Celebrating Black History Month, Diversity Workgroup Update, Spotlight on Letitia Griffin, Welcoming New STARR Certified Site NTXCT, Introducing Black Women in Clinical Research, Monthly Survey Question, News You May Have Missed, and so much more!
We are excited to feature this year’s STARR Sponsor of the Year, OTSUKA, announced at the annual STARR Awards Celebration, held Thursday, December 22nd. Otsuka was recognized for their ongoing support of Project RockSTARR, having budgeted more than $200,000 for local NAMI, MHA, and DBSA advocacy chapters, on behalf of the volunteers in their studies. Learn more about Otsuka and the outstanding support they provide to mental health advocacy organizations, as well as their efforts through the Sozosei Foundation to eliminate the use of jail and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.
February is Black History Month and the STARR’s Diversity Workgroup took the lead on several initiatives for this month, so it is fitting that we featured an update on the Diversity Workgroup and their new co-chair, Letitia Griffin. Letitia, who is the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at CNS Healthcare, has been focused on outreach to underserved communities, providing care, advocating for careers in clinical research, and doing an amazing job overcoming barriers that prevent treatment.
We were delighted to introduce Black Women in Clinical Research and founder Danielle Mitchell, who is working hard to promote careers in clinical research within African American communities and creating an industry forum for black women to support one another.
Don’t miss this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, where we recap some of the less publicized but pertinent news items you may have missed in January.
We’ve included News from the Certified Sites, along with the latest Upcoming Events list, and a request for survey responses from the National Federation of Families.
Last but not least, this month’s Site Survey poses the question: how much effort does your site put into the recruitment of culturally diverse populations? We could really use your input, so please take a moment to provide your feedback!
Check out the February 2023 Newsletter here.
STARR January 2023 News: Congratulating the 2022 STARR Award Winners, National Mentoring Month, Four Pharma Social Media Campaigns in the Spotlight, Call for Sites for Teva Study, Monthly Survey Question, and Interesting News Tidbits!
A condensed newsletter for January, but we’ve still got a few good items for you including the winners of the STARR Awards for Sponsor of the Year, Site of the Year, Advocate of the Year, and the Lew Yagodnk Award were announced at the annual STARR Awards Celebration, held Thursday, December 22nd. We’ve got the link to the video for you in this month’s Newsletter.
We’re happy to share a few interesting social media campaigns that create good will and brand recognition without pitching a specific treatment option. The campaigns utilize platforms not commonly used by pharma, and each offers some good examples of fresh ways to promote the company.
In this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, we lead off with NAMI’s State of Mental Health Report, which highlights state mental health legislation from 2020-2021. Also, Otsuka and Lundbeck announced FDA acceptance for the treatment of agitation associated with Alzheimer’s dementia, new research on a stress link in the brain, schizophrenia brain hotspots, and a few other items you may have missed in November.
Teva has issued a call for sites to help with a study assessing the impact of TD – we’ve got the links for you to check it out.
This month’s Site Survey poses the question on the three greatest challenges for newly hired research assistants. We could really use your input, so please take a moment to provide your feedback!
Check out the January 2023 Newsletter here.
STARR December 2022 News: Join us for the 2022 STARR Awards Celebration, Welcoming Teva to the STARR Community, Update on Matthew Shapiro, Conducting a Personal Annual Review, Call for ABC Response, Update on 988, Site Spotlight, and so much more…
December is one of our favorite months, not just because of the holidays, but because we get to host the annual STARR Awards Celebration! This year’s event was on Thursday, December 22nd, and was emceed by the renowned Adam Simmons.
We are excited about welcoming new corporate member Teva to the STARR community and have been working with the Teva team on several projects, ranging from community engagement initiatives, helping to expand Teva’s US psychiatric site network, and connecting Teva to the Research Ambassadors and caregivers.
This month’s 988 Update features NAIM-NYS’s latest 988 marketing efforts, which include three versions of a 988 brochure that contains basic information about 988 including reasons individuals may contact 988, what happens when someone calls, texts, or chats 988, frequently asked questions, and much more! It’s an excellent resource for sharing the basics of 988 and could very easily be used to create brochures that can be used outside of NY.
In this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, we’ve brought you info on Karuna’s appointment of Bill Meury as the new president and CEO, more on Alkermes’ oncology – neuroscience business split, some interesting research on psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol use disorder, some updates on Alzheimer’s research, and the results from a national survey on brain health and brain health research, among some other tidbits you may have missed in November.
There is some great news from the STARR Certified Sites, including updates from CenExel iResearch and ACMR, CNS Healthcare, and ERG’s Finger Lakes Clinical Research.
We know everyone has been thinking about him since his accident, so we are very pleased to provide an update on our 2020 Lew Yagodnik Award Winner and NAMI-NYS staff member, Matthew Shapiro. Matthew’s positive attitude and can-do mindset exemplify what makes Matthew such a powerful force as an advocate!
We’ve updated the Upcoming Events listings and included a new site survey question, offer a great article on conducting a Personal Annual Review, and much more!
Check out the December 2022 Newsletter here.
STARR November 2022 News: Caregivers Appreciation Month, New Advocacy Ace Award Winner, ABC’s Congressional Briefing on Psychedelics, Update on 988, Site Spotlight, and so much more…
November is recognized as National Caregiver Appreciation Month, a month-long tribute to recognize those individuals providing care-giving support to a family member or loved one with a chronic illness or disability. We’ve got NAMI’s “Circle of Care: A Guidebook for Mental Health Caregivers” to help you support the caregivers in your network.
This month’s Advocacy Ace spotlight with Justin Amburgey at Chicago Research Center, who raised $1,800 for their local NAMI, MHA, and DBSA offices through their participation in Project RockSTARR.
We are delighted to spotlight CNS Healthcare’s three sites this month. CNS Healthcare just received their STARR Site Certification renewal and is doing so much to support their patients and communities!
We’ve got an update on the status of the mental health lifeline 988 that launched in July. We’ve included NAMI’s map showing where each state is in their uptake of 988 state legislation, as well as model legislation to share with your state policymakers.
If you weren’t able to attend ABC’s Congressional briefing on the potential use of psychedelics in the treatment of psychiatric diseases, we’ve got the link to the YouTube video. It is well worth checking out.
In this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, we’ve brought you info on Alkermes’ ‘Tackling Unmet Medical Illness’ article, Otsuka’s integration of Avanir, new research on a schizophrenia hotspot in the upper prefrontal cortex, Biohaven’s (fantastic) video promoting the trial it’s running for an investigational obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) study, among some other tidbits you may have missed in October.
We checked out Datacubed’s webinar on maximizing retention in pediatric trials and summed up the take-aways for you.
We’ve updated the Upcoming Events listings and included News from the Certified Sites, an update on STARR founding member and NAMI-NYS staff, Matthew Shapiro, along with the link to the Newsweek article he was quoted in, brought you a new site survey question, and much more!
Check out the November 2022 Newsletter here.
STARR October 2022 News: Depression Awareness Month, Mental Health Screening Month, ADHD Awareness Month, New Advocacy Ace Award Winner, Auditory Hallucination Simulation Exercise at Karuna, Marcus McCarty-Towers Podcast, Update on 988, Site Spotlight, and so much more…
October is full of mental illness awareness activities and we’ve got them all listed for you with resources and links to help you raise awareness and promote your company!
This month’s Advocacy Ace spotlight with Kenzie Mayes of Austin Clinical Trial Partners, who raised over $2,000 for their local NAMI, MHA, and DBSA offices through their participation in Project RockSTARR.
Karuna Therapeutics hosted an amazing company-wide Auditory Hallucination Simulation program, featuring The STARR Coalition’s AHS exercise. It worked beautifully and we’ve got the inside scoop for you in this month’s newsletter.
Our Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement, Mallory Mercer, brings us the latest STARR Podcast with Marcus McCary-Towers, the Patient Recruitment lead at Midwest Clinical Research Center. Not only is Marcus a fascinating guy, but he shares some really interesting tips on recruitment and community engagement.
We’ve got an update on the status of the mental health lifeline 988. SAMHSA has released new numbers showing the August ’21 to August ’22 increase in calls is almost 50%. That’s before doing any wide-scale public awareness campaign to promote 988, so the numbers are expected to trend up. So, what’s next with 988? We’ve got you.
We encourage everyone to check out SAMHSA’s 988 Partner Toolkit and download, use, and share the available resources!
We’ve got a wonderful new person in the STARR community: Molly Little of Neuro-Behavioral Clinical Research (NBR) and the Ohio Center for Hope. Molly is leading the community engagement activities and has a bunch of holiday events planned for the Halloween – Thanksgiving – Christmas season. We’ve got some of the details, but we’re happy to connect you to Molly, if you’d like to reach out to her directly!
In this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, we’ve included an article on Otsuka and Lundbeck’s latest FDA New Drug Application, an item on folic acid and suicide risk, a note on parasocial relationships and stigma, an interesting (but now obvious) data on circadian rhythm disruption among individuals with mental health disorders, and a few other tidbits you may have missed.
We’ve updated the Upcoming Events listings and included News from the Certified Sites, brought you a new site survey question (and the data from September’s survey), and much more!
Check out the October 2022 Newsletter here.
STARR September 2022 News: Suicide Prevention & Awareness Month, New STARR Advocacy Ace Awardee, Jill Harkavy-Friedman Podcast, Update on 988, and so much more…
September is Suicide Prevention & Awareness Month as well as National Recovery Month and we’ve got you covered with links to support both.
Our Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement, Mallory Mercer, brings us the latest STARR Podcast with Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman, Senior Vice President of Research for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). AFSP is a phenomenal resource for those at risk as well as for loved ones, including warning signs, tools for prevention, support services, and much more.
We’ve got an update on the status of the mental health lifeline 988 that launched in July. Despite staffing challenges and some negative coverage (including an NPR-published article suggesting that 988 “is not friendly”), the mental health lifeline launch is helping people. We encourage everyone to check out SAMHSA’s 988 Partner Toolkit and download, use, and share the available resources!
Check out this month’s Advocacy Ace spotlight with Kenzie Mayes of Austin Clinical Trial Partners, who raised over $2,000 for their local NAMI, MHA, and DBSA offices through their participation in Project RockSTARR.
In this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, we’ve brought you info on Axsome’s FDA-approved MDD treatment, the potential interrelationships between domains of negative symptoms in schizophrenia, a study that breaks the ‘stoner’ stereotype, and California’s new metal health care plan for the homeless (a must read), among some other tidbits you may have missed in September.
We’ve updated the Upcoming Events listings and included News from the Certified Sites, brought you a new site survey question, and much more!
Check out the September 2022 Newsletter here.
STARR August 2022 News: Overdose Awareness Month, National Alliance for Eating Disorders Podcast, Update on 988, and so much more…
August is Overdose Awareness Month and we’ve got the links to support overdose awareness. We can all take action to address the overdose epidemic and enhance our support for individuals facing substance use disorder so that we can save lives.
Our Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement, Mallory Mercer, brings us the latest STARR Podcast with Johanna Kandel, Founder and CEO of The National Alliance for Eating Disorders. We know that a few of you are working on eating disorder studies and we wanted to introduce you to Johanna, who is a great resource.
We’ve got an update on the status of the mental health lifeline 988 that launched July 16th, some good info, and links to the 988 Partner Toolkit from SAMHSA. We encourage everyone to check out SAMHSA’s 988 Partner Toolkit and download, use, and share the available resources!
Check out this month’s Advocacy Ace spotlight with Erzie Nagy of Woodstock Research Center, who raised $650 for their local NAMI affiliate through their participation in Project RockSTARR.
With Back-to-School season in full swing, we’ve included some information from The Jed Foundation on supporting students’ mental health as they head off to school.
In this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, we’ve brought you info on Karuna Therapeutics’ results from their KarXT P-3 study (all good!), a report on how one’s environment influences the development of psychosis, lab-grown modular neural networks, and newly-released research on mothers, attachment, and incidence of adult anxiety and depression.
We’ve updated the Upcoming Events listings and included a new section on News from the Certified Sites, brought you a new site survey question, and much more!
Check out the August 2022 Newsletter here.
STARR July 2022 News: BIPOC Mental Health Month, Project People-USA Podcast, Update on 988 Launch, and so much more…
July is BIPOC Mental Health Month and we’ve got the links to activities and events that bring awareness to and support the mental health of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Learning about how culture and identity factors affect mental health is the first step to addressing inequality and ensuring everyone has access to mental health care.
Our Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement, Mallory Mercer, brings us the latest STARR Podcast with Steve Miccio, Founder of People-USA. Steve’s unique model of crises intervention and respite housing is helping thousands of people during and well after their mental health crises and is an important new model for these services.
With the new mental health lifeline 988 launching across the country on July 16th, we’ve got your info and links to resources. We’ll keep you updated on the launch as it progresses!
Check out this month’s Advocacy Ace spotlight with Allison Laska at UCONN Health, who raised over $800 for their local NAMI and MHA offices through their participation in Project RockSTARR, and the Upcoming Events listings.
Finally, in this month’s ‘In Case You Missed It’ section, we’ve brought you info on an NIH study’s findings on how immune response triggered by Covid-19 may damage the brain; a study on how psychosis is influenced by neighborhood; links to father-child depression regardless of genetic relatedness, and much more.
Check out the July 2022 Newsletter here.
STARR June 2022 News: PTSD Awareness Month, Project RockSTARR update, an ADAA diversity resource, and so much more…
June is PTSD Awareness Month so whether you are involved in a PTSD trial or not, be sure to help spread some education on PTSD. We’ve got a list of resources for you to share with your patients and volunteers.
Our Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement, Mallory Mercer, was delighted to meet so many of you at ASCP and included a note in this month’s newsletter.
You don’t want to miss the ADAA’s new Inclusive Language Guide, which they’ve developed with help from the American Psychiatric Association. The guidelines aim to raise awareness, guide learning, and support the use of culturally sensitive terms and phrases that center the voices and perspectives of those who are often marginalized or stereotyped. The STARR Coalition is a long-time proponent of the importance of the language that we use and the ADAA’s new Guide is so good that we’ve added it to our site (see the Language Module under the Certification area)!
Check out this month’s podcast spotlight with Chris Bullard, who founded the Sound Mind Music Festival for Mental Health (an event to watch, as they are looking to explode on the scene at SXSW), an article on the upcoming launch of the new mental health lifeline 988 (are we ready?), a call for grant proposals from the Dana Foundation, and an updated Upcoming Events section.
Finally, let us hear from you on this month’s survey question: Do you survey your research volunteers during or after the clinical trial? And check out the results from last month’s survey on getting volunteer’s input on studies.
Check out the June 2022 Newsletter here.
STARR May 2022 News: Mental Health Awareness Month, new STARR Podcast, this month’s Advocacy Ace Awardees, and so much more…
May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Check out the latest topics and toolkits from our advocacy partners, as well as some phenomenal events including the Sound Mind Music Festival for Mental Health and the 2022 Mental Health Action Day.
We’re keeping an eye on the Sound Mind Music Festival for Mental Health — they have big plans and the potential to be the SXSW for mental health awareness — we’ve provided a sneak peak at the founder’s podcast about the Festival, which we’ll spotlight next month.
This month’s podcast spotlight is on Dr. Lynda Gargan, who serves as the Executive Director for the National Federation of Families, which links more than 120 state and local affiliates and national partners focused on the issues of children and youth with emotional, behavioral, or mental health needs and substance use challenges and their families.
We’ve also got a new Volunteer Voice and an updated Upcoming Events section, along with a poll on collecting volunteer input on studies. We’ll share the results next month!
Check out the May 2022 Newsletter here.
STARR April 2022 News: Volunteer Month, Spotlight on the STARR Sponsor of the Year, this month’s Advocacy Ace Awardees, and so much more…
Arguably one of the most important months to celebrate — April is National Volunteer Month! Get the facts in the April STARR Newsletter.
We’ve also featured the STARR Sponsor of the Year, Karuna Therapeutics, along with another RockSTARR Advocacy Ace, and new advocacy partner, the National Federation of Families.
We’ve added a section with relevant news items you may have missed in April, as well as a great article on Study Retention Considerations.
We’ve got the usual Volunteer Voice and an updated Upcoming Events section.
Check out the April 2022 Newsletter here.
STARR March 2022 News: National Women’s History Month, Spotlight on the STARR Lew Yagodnik Awardee, this month’s Advocacy Ace Awardee, and more great info…
Learn more about Paul Jaquith, the STARR Lew Yagodnik Award Winner, along with another RockSTARR Advocacy Ace, and new advocacy partner, Letters from Strangers.
Also this month, we’ve included an update from the American Brain Coalition on Congress’s newly released 2022 omnibus appropriations agreement, as well as March’s Volunteer Voice and an updated Upcoming Events section.
Check out the March 2022 Newsletter here.
STARR February 2022 News: National Black History Month, Spotlight on the STARR Site of the Year, this month’s Advocacy Ace Awardee, and so much more…
Learn more about CenExel=ACMR, the STARR Site of the Year, along with another RockSTARR Advocacy Ace, and new advocacy partner, People USA.
We’ve kicked off the February News with a survey on what everyone would like to see as one of the next Site:Site Zoom Calls so we can make sure we’re giving you what you want. Also included is February’s Volunteer’s Thoughts on Research and an updated Upcoming Events section.
Check out the February 2022 Newsletter here.
STARR January 2022 News: Recapping the Annual STARR Awards Presentation, Project RockSTARR Advocacy Ace Awards, Key Clubhouse of South Florida Spotlight, Upcoming Partner Meetings, News and Updates
Just in case anyone missed the Annual Awards Presentation, we’ve got the recap in The January 2022 STARR News.
Learn about National Mentoring Month in this month’s news. The January STARR News featured the Key Clubhouse of South Florida, the newest STARR Advocacy partner. We’ve featured another RockSTARR Advocacy Ace award winner, a new Volunteers’ Voice quote, and updated our Upcoming Events section.
Check out the January 2022 Newsletter here.
STARR December 2021 News: Annual STARR Awards Presentation, Year-end Updates on STARR Programs, New Certified Site Spotlight, Project RockSTARR Advocacy Ace Awards, Upcoming Partner Meetings, News and Updates
December was super busy and we covered a lot of great stuff in the December Newsletter, including the Annual STARR Awards Presentation to the 2021 Sponsor of the Year, CRO of the Year, Site of the Year, Advocate of the Year, and the Lewy! The virtual awards presentation was a fabulous way to close out 2021!
We provided year-end updates on all of the STARR programs — if you want to know what is going on with the STARR, that is the section to read as we cover info and updates on 6 programs and 4 workgroups.
We presented the first RockSTARR Advocacy Ace Awards to 32 phenomenal researchers whose screened volunteers have designated the most donations to their local advocacy organizations. We’ve featured the first Advocacy Ace in the newsletter.
We’ve introduced a monthly article written by individuals with lived experience. This month, we featured an article from Douglas Meron, who lives with Schizophrenia and wrote about the importance of building a support system.
Check out the December 2021 Newsletter here.
STARR November 2021 News: Latest STARR Site:Site Zoom Conversation on Decentralized Trials, National Caregivers Appreciation Month, Spotlight on AFSP, News and Updates
In November, we hosted a Site:Site Zoom Conversation on Decentralized Clinical Trials: Site Perspectives and Next Steps. Co-Hosts Judy Galindo and Nelson Rutrick hit on how sites are offering flexible (hybrid!) study capabilities, as well as the future outlook and what sites can do in response to DCT pressure.
The November Advocacy Spotlight was on the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and we updated our Upcoming Events section to include a few links to YouTube-accessible meetings from the recent past.
Check out the November 2021 Newsletter here.
STARR October 2021 News: Latest STARR Site:Site Zoom Conversation on Staffing, National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month and ADHD Awareness Month, Introducing the new Study Volunteer Transition Workgroup, Upcoming Partner Meetings, News and Updates
In October, we hosted a Site:Site Zoom Conversation on staffing and current site operations, which was an open, honest conversation about staffing and offered many great tips on how to keep the staff that you have, as well as deal with some of the challenges of outside study staff (CRAs, sponsors, etc.). If you missed it, be sure to check out the video (in a link to be provided in the November Newsletter!).
We launched the Study Volunteer Transition Workgroup to create resources for volunteers transitioning out of studies.
We posted information on NAMI-NYS’s Education Conference, where STARR had a virtual booth promoting the National Call to Action to Support Mental Health Research. We also posted information on the American Brain Coalition’s Annual Meeting, which we are super excited about!
Check out the October Newsletter here.
STARR September 2021 News: Latest STARR Site:Site Zoom Conversation, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, New Advocacy Partner, New STARR Employee, NIH’s ARPA-H call, News and Updates
September’s Newsletter was a busy month for all: Along with being Suicide Prevention Awareness month, the STARR hosted a Site:Site Zoom Conversation on the impact of the Delta Variant on site operations; we welcomed new STARR employee Mallory Mercer and new advocacy organization, The Jed Foundation.
We launched a volunteer testimonial segment, which we plan on including in all of our future Newsletters, social media, and we’re happy to share these with the community.
We reported on the August 16 NIH’s ARPA-H listening session focused on “Advocates for Research on Neurology and Mental Health,” and issued a call to action to support the National Call to Action to Support Mental Health Research.
Read the September Newsletter here.
STARR July 2021 News: BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month, National Suicide Crisis Hotline, Advocates in the News Supporting Research, News and Updates
July’s Newsletter included the information on BIPOC Mental Health Awareness month, with a link to MHA’s ‘Strength in Communities’ toolkit. We’ve got information and updates on *988, the national mental health and suicide crisis hotline number that will go into service across the country in 2022, as well as a link to a phenomenal tv news story featuring our friend, Matthew Shapiro of NAMI-NYS discussing a new schizophrenia treatment and the need for new mental health treatments.
We’ve issued a call for topics for our monthly Site:Site Zoom Conversations, as well as a call to action to support the National Call to Action to Support Mental Health Research.
Read the July Newsletter here.
STARR May 2021 News: Mental Health Awareness Month, Interactive Zoom Conversation on Research Sites’ Role in the Community: Working with Local Advocacy & Non-Profit Groups, the latest STARR Podcast, News and Updates
Although Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed annually since 1949, the COVID pandemic brought mental health into special focus, having had a profound effect on the mental health of everyone. This year, more than ever before, it is critical to do what we can to reduce the stigma of mental health disorders AND mental health research.
In May, we’ve included the link to register for the upcoming Research Sites’ Role in the Community: Working with Local Advocacy & Non-Profit Groups zoom conversation on research sites’ role in their local community as a trusted and valuable part of the healthcare ecosystem, with tips on how to build strong relationships with the local advocacy and non-profit groups.
Be sure to check out this month’s featured podcast: Andrei Pikalov, MD, PhD, Vice President and Head of Global Medical Affairs! Check that out HERE.
STARR April 2021 News: Interactive Zoom Conversation on Trauma Informed Care, The Confess Project, PsychU’s STARR interview, the latest STARR Podcast, News and Updates
April was especially busy with the launch of the National Call to Action to Support Mental Health Research — if you haven’t joined the Call yet, do so now HERE!
This month, we’ve included the link to register for the upcoming Trauma Informed Care zoom conversation and May’s Mental Health Awareness Month toolbox, as well as an introduction to our dear friend, Lorenzo Lewis, the founder and CEO of the Confess Project, .
Be sure to check out this month’s featured podcast: Michael Pollock, CEO of one of our favorite advocacy organizations, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)!
STARR March 2021 News: Zoom Conversation to discuss the launch the National Call to Action to Support Mental Health Research, STARR Diversity Workgroup Update, and the American Brain Coalition’s Initiative for an FDA Neuroscience Center of Excellence
This month’s STARR News includes the link to the zoom call around the launch of the National Call to Action to Support Mental Health Research — our biggest initiative ever!
Co-hosted by three members from the Call to Action Steering Committee, Andrei Pikalov, Sunovion, Emily Freitag, Sage, and Adam Simmons, Alkermes, this zoom call lays out the details of this important program. We need everyone’s help and active participation to ensure the success of the Call to Action and more importantly, support mental health research!
Read about the American Brain Coalition’s Initiative for an FDA Neuroscience Center of Excellence, another great initiative that deserves our support.
STARR February 2021 News: Interactive Zoom Conversation with Advocacy on Building Relationships, Oregon’s CAHOOTS Program, Latest STARR Podcast, News and Updates
Since we skipped January’s News, we doubled up in February! If you haven’t checked out NAMI’s podcast with Tim Black on their CAHOOTS program, we strongly encourage you to take a few minutes to learn about this effective and successful program. Also, meet Kevin Lynch of The Quell Foundation, and learn about the latest additions to the STARR program line-up!
STARR December News: Happy Holidays! 2020 STARR Awards Announced!
In case you missed it, The Starr Coalition hosted our 2020 Annual Star of Excellence Awards Ceremony via Zoom this year and it was like a wonderful holiday party! Check out all of the winners in the STARR December News, along with updates on what to look forward to in 2021 with the STARR Site Certifications.
STARR November News: Happy Thanksgiving! STARR 2020 Awards, Lisa Horowitz, NIH, Featured Podcast, News and Updates
November’s STARR News features STARR 911, this month’s Featured Podcast, and the announcement on the Annual STARR Awards Ceremony!
Check it out here!
STARR News: Interactive Zoom Conversation, New Diversity Workgroup, Advocacy Partners, News and Updates
October’s STARR News features updates on the latest STARR Workgroup on Diversity, info on the interactive zoom conversation on recruitment, The STARR’s new advocacy partners, and more.
Check it out here!
STARR News: Interactive Zoom Conversation, New Certified Sites and Advocacy Partners, News and Updates
September’s STARR News features updates on the latest STARR Certified Sites, info on the interactive zoom conversation on site operations in a pandemic, The STARR’s new advocacy partners, and more.
STARR News: Interactive Zoom Conversation, New Certified Sites, News and Updates
June’s STARR News features updates on the STARR Site Certification program, information on the site-to-site interactive zoom conversation, connecting with advocacy, and the latest STARR podcast with Dr. William Potter, NIMH.
STARR News: Site-to-Site Webinar, Mental Health Awareness Month 2020, News and Updates
April’s STARR News features updates on the STARR Site Certification program, information on the Site-to-Site Webinar, connecting with advocacy, and the STARR #ResearchResponds webpage.
STARR News: Site Certification, COVID-19
March’s STARR News features updates on the STARR Site Certification program, COVID-19 outbreak information, updated Sponsors for the certification program, and the latest sites, podcasts, and survey question.
Holiday Wishes from The STARR – 2019
Recap from CNS Summit 2019
Another amazing CNS Summit in the books for The STARR Coalition! Not only was the the STARR Silent Karaoke booth a huge hit, but on Saturday afternoon, leaders from across the research industry and advocacy met to attend The STARR Coalition Breakout Session. We discussed the STARR Site Certification and awarded innovative organizations and programs changing the conversation around cutting-edge CNS research.
Check out the photos here!
STARR News: Mental Health Awareness Month 2019
Patrick Kennedy at the CNS Summit
The Honorable Patrick J Kennedy joined The STARR Coalition during the CNS Summit. Read more about it!
Save the Date
Please join us during the CNS Summit this year!
