Events

2021 Depression Research Summit 

To commemorate the Center’s official launch, co-directors Dr. Randy Auerbach and Dr. J. John Mann hosted a free, virtual event series that showcased over 20 esteemed researchers in the fields of depression, suicide prevention, and resilience.

The summit was held over three consecutive Wednesdays—June 9, 16, and 23—and featured three keynote speakers and six panel sessions.

Program

Day 1 Keynote: Understanding, Treating and Preventing Depression: How Can Neuroscience Help?

Presenter: Huda Akil, PhD (University of Michigan)
Moderator: J. John Mann, MD (Columbia University)

Session 1: Depression in Children and Adolescents

• ​Biology of Attachment and Lessons for Understanding Causes and Prevention of Depression
  • Presenter: Amir Levine, MD (Columbia University)
• ​From Neuroimaging to Real-Time Monitoring: Clarifying Interpersonal Markers for Depression and Suicide in Adolescents
  • Presenter: Randy P. Auerbach, PhD, ABPP (Columbia University)
• ​A Deeper Dive into Interpersonal Therapy for Adolescent Depression
  • Presenter: Laura Mufson, PhD (Columbia University)

Moderator: Myrna Weissman, PhD (Columbia University)

Session 2: On-line diagnosis and therapeutics of mood disorders: reinventing psychiatry

• ​Computerized Adaptive Testing: A Faster and Better Diagnostic Method for Depression
  • Presenter: Robert Gibbons, PhD (University of Chicago)
• ​Digital Approaches for the Assessment and Treatment of Depression
  • Presenter: David C. Mohr, PhD (Northwestern University)

Moderator: Ravi Shah, MD (Columbia University)

Day 2 Keynote: Getting Closer to Developing New Treatments for Mood Disorders Using Neural Risk Markers from Infancy to Adulthood

Presenter: Mary Phillips, MD (University of Pittsburgh)
​Moderator: Jonathan Posner, MD (Columbia University)

Session 3: Depression in Mid-Life

• How Animal Models Can Explain the Biology of Depression and the Action of Antidepressants Like Ketamine
  • Presenter: Christine Denny, PhD (Columbia University)
• ​How Brain Imaging Explains Major Depression and Leads to New Treatment Approaches
  • Presenter: J. John Mann, MD (Columbia University)
• ​How to Improve the Outcome for Treatment Resistant Depression
  • Presenter: Steven Roose, MD (Columbia University)

Moderator: Lourival Baptista-Neto, MD (Columbia University)

Session 4: Psychodelics and old new-age treatment for mood disorders

• ​Psychodelics for Treatment Resistant Depression
  • Presenter: David Hellerstein, MD (Columbia University)
• ​Defeating Alcoholism and Substance Use Disorder with Ketamine
  • Presenter: Elias Dakwar, MD (Columbia University)

​Moderator: Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD (Columbia University)

Day 3 Keynote: New faster-acting antidepressants: Finding Options Beyond Ketamine

Presenter: Carlos Zarate Jr, MD (National Institute of Mental Health)
Moderator: David Hellerstein, MD (Columbia University)

Session 5: Causes and Prevention of Suicidal Behavior

• ​Neurobiology of Suicide
  • Presenter: Maura Boldrini, MD (Columbia University)
• ​Brain Abnormalities Linked to Non-Fatal Suicidal Behavior: clues to new prevention approaches
  • Presenter: M. Elizabeth Sublette, MD, PhD (Columbia University)
• ​Suicidal Behavior Risk Management in the Frontlines: Prevention in the Emergency Department
  • Presenter: Barbara H. Stanley, PhD (Columbia University)

​Moderator: Helen Blair Simpson, MD, PhD (Columbia University)

Session 6: Resilience Research into Practice

• The Neuroscience of Building Resilience
  • Presenter: Golnaz Tabibnia, PhD (University of California – Irvine)
• Risk & Resilience in UK Emergency Responders
  • Presenter: Jennifer Wild, PhD (University of Oxford)
• Evidence-Based Resilience for Frontline Workers
  • Presenter: Lauren Peccoralo, MD, MPH (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)

Moderator: Jeff Thompson, PhD (Columbia University)