RESPONDING TO THE ALARM: ADDRESSING BLACK YOUTH SUICIDE

APRIL 21, 2020

11:30 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. EDT

ABOUT THE WEBINAR

Over the past several years, there has been an alarming increase in the rate of suicide and suicidal behaviors among Black children and youth. Black youth under 13 are twice as likely to die by suicide compared to their White peers, and the suicide death rate among Black youth has been found to be increasing faster than any other racial/ethnic group. In 2019, the Congressional Black Caucus convened an emergency Taskforce to examine Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health. The Taskforce released its report in December 2019, highlighting several recommendations for increased research, intervention development, and community engagement.

In collaboration with the Office of Behavioral Health Equity at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), this 90-minute interactive roundtable webinar will feature co-authors of the Taskforce report, including the leader of the Taskforce, answering our most pressing questions about Black youth suicide. We will learn about the latest trends and prevalence of suicide and suicide-related behaviors among Black children and youth and hear about the common risk and protective factors that are most salient for this population. We are also going to hear from a research-practitioner and a community leader, who both work closely with Black youth, to gain their perspectives on this crisis and to learn about some of the ways that we can identify Black children and youth who are at risk for suicide, how to best engage them, and provide them with developmentally and culturally appropriate support and care.

Please join us for this engaging, enlightening discussion!

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Rhonda C. Boyd, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Psychiatry
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Rhonda C. Boyd is an Associate Professor in Psychiatry in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. She is the Associate Director of the CHOP’s Child and Adolescent Mood Program in the outpatient clinic where she practices as a licensed psychologist specializing in evaluation and treatment of youth with depression. She has served as a Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on multiple federal grants including those from the National Institutes of Health and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Recently, she participated on the workgroup for the Congressional Black Caucus Emergency Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide & Mental Health. Additionally, she has been involved in disseminating information about youth suicide through blogs with CHOP PolicyLab.

Michael Lindsey, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.P.H.
Executive Director
McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at New York University
Constance and Martin Silver Professor of Poverty Studies

Dr. Michael Lindsey is currently the Executive Director of NYU Silver’s McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research and is the School’s Constance and Martin Silver Professor of Poverty Studies. A child and adolescent mental health services researcher, Dr. Lindsey is particularly interested in the prohibitive factors that lead to unmet mental health need among vulnerable youth with serious psychiatric illnesses, including depression and suicide. He has received research support from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to examine the social network influences on perceptual and actual barriers to mental health care among Black adolescent males with depression. He also received NIMH funding to develop and test a treatment engagement intervention that promotes access to and use of mental health services among depressed adolescents in school- and community-based treatment.

Arielle Sheftall, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
The Ohio State University College of Medicine

Dr. Arielle Sheftall is a Principal Investigator at the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research and Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biobehavioral Health from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s and Doctoral degree in Human Development and Family Science from The Ohio State University. She began her journey as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Patient-Centered Pediatric Research Program (PC-PReP) in the summer of 2013 and became faculty at the Research Institute in Fall 2018.

Jason Wilson
Founder and CEO
The Yunion

Mr. Jason Wilson is the founder and CEO of The Yunion (pronounced union), a non-profit youth development organization in Detroit Michigan. Since 2003, The Yunion has effectively reached more than 15,000 youth and young adults through innovative prevention programming, trauma-informed care, parental engagement, and counseling. In 2008, Mr. Wilson’s heart for fatherless and misguided Black boys inspired him to create and direct the Cave of Adullam Transformational Training Academy (CATTA). As an expert in Emotional Stability Training®, Wilson’s leadership has garnered the CATTA numerous acknowledgments and awards for his work teaching males how to introspectively confront and conquer their negative emotions with composure. In 2016, one of the CATTA’s videos went viral with over 80 million views worldwide. As a result, Mr. Wilson was invited to be a guest on the Dr. Oz Show and to present the CATTA at President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Showcase at the White House. Later that year, NBC’s hit TV show This Is Us was so inspired by Wilson’s work, that they featured the CATTA’s initiation ceremony in one of their most viewed and award-winning episodes.

Mr. Wilson has over 24 years of martial arts experience, in addition to over 15 years of training and developing young Black males. Mr. Wilson is a man of the Most High, a faithful husband of over 21 years, and a proud father of two beautiful children.

ABOUT THE MODERATORS

Crystal L. Barksdale, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Program Chief, Minority Mental Health Program
Office for Disparities Research and Workforce Diversity, National Institute of Mental Health

Dr. Crystal L. Barksdale, PhD, MPH, is the Chief of the Minority Mental Health Program for the Office for Disparities Research and Workforce Diversity. She is responsible for providing guidance and expertise related to minority mental health and mental health disparities. Dr. Barksdale brings a wealth of experience to this position, working previously in the National Institute of Mental Health Office of Science Policy, Planning, and Communication (OSPPC) in the Science Policy and Evaluation Branch. Prior to working in OSPPC she worked at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), providing program evaluation leadership and guidance, and subject matter expertise related to disparities in children’s mental health, opioid use, and substance use treatment for projects involving pregnant and postpartum women. Previously, Dr. Barksdale led implementation and evaluation efforts related to the HHS Office of Minority Health’s National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (National CLAS Standards), provided training and technical assistance to health and health care organizations on health disparities and cultural and linguistic competency, and managed cultural and linguistic competency program development and evaluation. Dr. Barksdale, a licensed clinical psychologist and educator, received her doctorate in clinical psychology from George Washington University, her Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Roslyn Holliday Moore, M.S.
Senior Public Health Analyst
Office of Behavioral Health Equity, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Roslyn Holliday Moore leads and manages Federal initiatives at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She is senior staff in the Office of Behavioral Health Equity in the Assistant Secretary’s Office of Internal and External Affairs. In this position, she provides guidance and direction on national policy, program and data initiatives that address health disparities and the promotion of health equity for underserved populations and communities. Ms. Holliday Moore earned degrees in Speech-Language Pathology at Queens College, CUNY and Teachers College, Columbia University and is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist.