David Brent, MD, Honored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention with Lifetime Achievement Research Award
David Brent, MD (Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Epidemiology, and Clinical and Translational Science and Endowed Chair in Suicide Studies), has received the Lifetime Achievement Research Award from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). This award honors suicide prevention researchers whose career and body of work have had a significant and broad impact on the field of suicide prevention. Dr. Brent was recognized at the annual Lifesavers Gala on May 11, 2022, which took place virtually and in New York City.
Dr. Brent is widely recognized as a global expert on depression and suicidal behavior in adolescents. His research has created the empirical framework for the assessment and treatment of adolescent depression and suicidal behavior, which has served as the foundation for evidence-based care for at-risk youth. Dr. Brent was among the first to identify factors other than depression that contribute to suicide risk, including impulsive aggression, behavior and substance abuse disorders, insomnia, and high suicidal intent, and these domains are now widely recognized as important treatment targets for suicidal adolescents. In addition, he showed that access to firearms is a risk factor for completed suicide. Dr. Brent and his collaborators were among the first to conduct clinical trials using cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for depressed adolescents, leading to a multi-site study of treatment-resistant depression in adolescents, which established CBT as an effective means for preventing the onset of depression in high-risk adolescents. His latest work uses innovative technology to develop and test a mobile sensing device to help determine when youth are at high suicidal risk, and a mobile safety planning app that provides teens with instant access to coping strategies.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Brent!