The Office of Science and Technology Policy in the White House will host a virtual event on Thursday, July 28, 2022, that will cover promising areas of research to address the Nation’s mental health crisis.
The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is hosting a series of virtual events that will explore the science of the biological and behavioral basis of psychological distress and mental health challenges. Importantly, conversations will also focus on preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic options being developed to improve the quality of life for millions of Americans suffering from psychological and psychiatric conditions. These efforts are in line with President Biden’s commitment to addressing the mental health crisis and follow a recent announcement of new actions as part of a comprehensive national strategy on mental health.
To date, the series has included events on what is underlying the youth mental health crisis, what we know about mental health challenges in minority youth, mental health challenges that affect veterans, and how science has offered hope for treatment-resistant depression.
This event will include invited speakers Director of the NIH’s Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative, Dr. John Ngai, BRAIN investigator and BRAIN Multi-Council Working Group member, Dr. Kafui Dzirasa, and the former NIH Associate Director for Science Policy and current Deputy Director for Health & Life Sciences at OSTP, Dr. Carrie D. Wolinetz. The conversation will focus on how the human brain works, how changes to brain function can produce mental and neurological conditions, and who are supporting the development of tools to understand and treat these conditions.
The event is scheduled for Thursday, July 28 from 2:00 to 2:30 pm EDT. Registration to the event is open to all members of the public.