Newswise — NEW YORK CITY (June 11, 2014)—The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation today announced new topics for its popular monthly webinars during which leading mental health researchers discuss and answer questions about the latest in new technologies, early intervention strategies and next-generation therapies for mental illness. Researchers from New York University; University of New Mexico School of Medicine and the Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology at Weill Cornell Medical College will discuss schizophrenia, treatment-resistant mood disorders, and factors contributing to child and adolescent psychiatric disorders.
“These popular webinars offer the general public access to some of the world’s top scientists who discuss their cutting-edge research that could lead to breakthroughs alleviating suffering caused by mental illness,” said Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein, M.D., the Chief Executive Officer of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation and host of the award-winning television series “Healthy Minds.”
Each of the hour-long monthly webinars includes time for researchers to answer questions posed by the online participants. Dr. Borenstein will moderate all discussions. Each webinar will be live tweeted with the hashtag #brainchat. After the live event, recordings of the webinars will be available on the Foundation’s website at: bbrfoundation.org/webinar. The upcoming webinars are:
July 15, 2-3 p.m. ESTIDENTIFYING RISK FACTORS AND PROTECTIVE PATHWAYS FOR SCHIZOPHRENIADolores Malaspina, M.D., M.S.P.H., a professor of Psychiatry at NYU and the Director of the Institute for Social and Psychiatric Initiatives, will discuss a cross-disciplinary approach to the prevention, early detection, treatment and cure of the social impairments at the core of schizophrenia. She studies the complex interplay of genetics with biology, environmental factors and life-course experiences. Dr. Malaspina has authored more than 200 scientific papers; is an award winning mentor, training the next generation of psychiatric research scientists and co-hosts a weekly radio show for the Sirius/XM satellite radio channel for "Doctor Radio".
August 12, 2-3 p.m. ESTTREATMENT-RESISTANT MOOD DISORDERSJan A. Fawcett, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and Foundation Scientific Council member and recipient of the Foundation’s 2005 Falcone Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Mood Disorders Research, has devoted his career to research and treatment of affective disorders and suicide prevention. Dr. Fawcett and his team are currently studying recurrent depression prevention and cognitive behavioral therapy through a five-year National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) project. He co-authored the book “New Hope for People with Bipolar Disorder,” and chaired the Mood Disorders Workgroup as a member of the Task Force for DSM-V.
September 9, 2-p.m. EST FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO CHILD & ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERSBJ Casey, Ph.D., Director and Sackler Professor of Developmental Psychobiology at Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology at Weill Cornell Medical College is a pioneer in novel uses of brain imaging to understand the development of psychiatric disorders in children. She will discuss her recent discoveries of the biological factors related to vulnerability and resilience to mental illness during the early postnatal and adolescence periods, which are sensitive windows of development, and their important implications for the timing and development of new interventions and treatments.
About Jeffrey BorensteinJeffrey Borenstein, M.D., the President & Chief Executive Officer of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, has more than two decades of experience in health and non-profit leadership. He is former CEO/Medical Director of Holliswood Hospital, where he served from 1996 to 2012. He is a board-certified psychiatrist and the host of the award-winning series, “Healthy Minds,” which is broadcast on public television stations across the United States. He is Editor-in-Chief of Psychiatric News, the newspaper of the American Psychiatric Association.
About the Brain & Behavior Research FoundationThe Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (formerly known as NARSAD or the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression) raises funds to invest in cutting-edge research projects to understand, treat, and ultimately prevent and cure mental illness. Since 1987, the Foundation has awarded over $300 million in its NARSAD Research Grants to more than 3,700 scientists around the world. Research projects are selected by the Foundation’s Scientific Council comprised of 146 leading experts across disciplines in brain and behavior research. Funded through private contributions, the Foundation invests 100% of donor contributions for research directly into its NARSAD Grants. For more information, visit bbrfoundation.org.
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