Dakota
Johnson and Audrey Gruss
Photo Credit: Sean
Zanni/PMC
Actress, Producer & Mental Health Advocate
Dakota Johnson
Honored at 17th Annual HOPE Luncheon Seminar
Biopharmaceutical Company Sage
Therapeutics also Honored
Luncheon Focuses on “Resilience: Emerging
Stronger From Life’s
Greatest Challenges”
Hope for
Depression Research Foundation (HDRF), the leading
non-profit dedicated solely to advanced depression research,
held its 17th annual HOPE luncheon seminar at The Plaza
Hotel on the topic of psychological resilience, featuring
top medical experts and actor Dakota Johnson as the
celebrity honoree.
The
event, entitled “Resilience: Emerging Stronger from
Life’s Greatest Challenges,” drew more than
300 attendees and raised over $700,000 for life-saving
mental health research.
The day
included a major announcement of new discoveries by HDRF’s
acclaimed Depression Task Force, a collaboration of top
neuroscientists who are pooling expertise and data to find
urgently needed new treatments and diagnostics for
depression.
The
event also featured a heartfelt award ceremony, where
acclaimed actress and producer Dakota Johnson accepted
the2023 HOPE Award for Depression Advocacy. Other
awardees were Sage Therapeutics, which received
the HOPE Corporate Visionary Award; and Michael
Dudgeon, who received the HOPE Community Award for his
commitment to funding advanced depression research.
Among
the guests were Brooke Shields, a former HOPE Award
recipient (2009), and her daughter Grier Henchy, who
as a Teen Race of Hope Ambassador is continuing in her
mother’s advocacy footsteps.
Master
of Ceremonies, Chuck Scarborough began by welcoming
guests and then introduced keynote speaker, Dr. Dennis
Charney, Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount
Sinai and President for Academic Affairs for the Mount Sinai
Health System.
Dr.
Dennis Charney has
made significant contributions to the understanding of human
anxiety and depression, and is the author of Resilience:
The Science of Mastering Life's Greatest Challenges
with Steven Southwick and Jonathan DePierro.
The book
is based on extensive research with trauma survivors, such
as prisoners of war who were subject to torture in Vietnam.
In his remarks, Charney shared ways to build resilience
which he covers in the book, including: developing optimism,
finding a supportive network, embracing a moral compass,
creating positive statements about oneself, and attending to
physical well-being.
In
addition, Dr. Charney shared his own personal story when he
had to put resilience factors to the test after being shot
by a former faculty member at Mount Sinai. He spent weeks
recovering in the I.C.U.
“Realistic optimism is key – you need to know what you are
facing and not be Pollyanna about it,” he said. “But also
have faith that you will prevail.”
He added, “It’s
important to accept what happened without blaming yourself,
and then work to get stronger.”
Charney
added that finding inspiration in music was critical for
him. He listened almost non-stop to Bruce Springsteen’s
“Stronger than the Rest.”
In
conclusion, Charney touched on the resilience of New York
City to bounce back after the 9/11 attack and Hurricane
Sandy. He said he believes New York is a resilient city
because of its immigrant population and heritage of survival
and grit.
Another
guest featured in the program was Dr. Kafui Dzirasa,
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at
Duke University and a member of HDRF’s Depression Task
Force. Dzirasa gave brief remarks on how the study of
depression can specifically benefit from machine learning
techniques.
“The
brain has over 200 billion cells and by understanding their
electrical patterns, we can find new diagnostics and
treatments for mental illness,” he said. “Artificial
intelligence allows us analyze billions of electrical
signals at once and find coherent patterns.”
HDRF
Founder and Chair Audrey Gruss took
the stage to speak about the exciting progress of the
acclaimed HDRF Depression Task Force.
“When I
formed HDRF, my vision was to create a think tank to defeat
depression, where some of the greatest neuroscientists on
the planet could collaborate in a way that breaks the
traditional mold of academic research,” Gruss said. “The
field was stuck, so we hoped that by working together, we
would provide real results faster.”
To
unveil major research results, Gruss then introduced Dr.
Eric Nestler, Chair of the HDRF Depression Task Force
and Director of the Friedman Brain Institute at Mount
Sinai. Nestler announced that the DTF’s research had
identified 20 promising genetic targets for developing new
antidepressants. All of these gene targets were narrowed
down from a field of over 20,000 human genes over the past
ten years, and have been extensively validated for their
role in depression. The 20 new targets are now ready to go
to proof of concept clinical trials.
HDRF
Executive Director Louisa Benton then
took the podium to discuss HDRF’s community outreach
and education efforts. She highlighted HDRF’s Race of
Hope 5K in Palm Beach and Southampton, as well as the Teen
Race of Hope in NYC in May, and several mental health
symposiums throughout the year for the general public.
Mike
Dudgeon accepted
the 2023 Hope Community Award for his unwavering
commitment to mental health research and support for HDRF.
In his poignant remarks, Dudgeon said that the impetus for
funding depression research was the death by suicide of his
20-year-old son in 2020. He hoped to find new cures for
severe depression that shatters lives and families.
Sage
Therapeutics, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company on a mission
to deliver potentially life-changing brain health medicines,
received the 2023 HOPE Corporate Visionary Award.
Earlier this year, Sage introduced a breakthrough new
treatment for postpartum depression to the market, the first
and only oral treatment option for women specifically with
Post Partum Depression.
Sage
Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Mike Quirk said,
“We are here to celebrate the power and importance of
neuroscience research in transforming the lives of people
living with mental illness.”
Audrey Gruss then
presented Dakota Johnson with the HOPE
Award for Depression Advocacy.
“We
are honoring Dakota because she has spoken
candidly and openly in the media about her experience with
depression and anxiety since being a teenager, “said Gruss.
“This kind of candor and sharing is part of the answer to
the complex crisis of depression.”
In her
remarks, Dakota Johnson moved the audience with her
authenticity and humor.
She opened
by quipping that she was honored to receive the award for
best depressed person. After the audience's laughter died
down, she said she was inspired by the work of the
Depression Task Force to defeat depression, because her
first-hand knowledge of depression is that there are no
immediate answers or cures.
She
spoke about the value of therapy and medication in her
journey with depression. In addition, she practices
transcendental meditation every day, and finds great relief
in deep tissue massage, breath work, yoga, and swimming in
natural water.
“I fully
support needing the assistance of more urgent help, like the
temporary use of SSRIs and EMDR or brain spotting, which I
find to be incredibly amazing. As long as you are not
harming yourself or others, whatever helps you, helps you.”
She
concluded: “Removing the stigma of anxiety and depressive
disorders and the means to help them is essential. We are in
too much trouble as a human race to feel further isolated by
the brain chemistry and complexities of the mind that we are
born with, or the life experiences that we may not have
chosen given the state of the world.
If we help each other understand that caring for our mental
health is essential, perhaps that will turn practicing
self-love and self-compassion into a vital part of living.
And then perhaps that will radiate compassion and love for
each other and the Other, and then the world we live in will
also become a vital part of living.”
This
year’s Event Co-Chairs included Susan Gutfreund, Maru
Hagerty, Gillian Hearst, Kim Heirston, Tania Higgins,
Eleanora Kennedy, Kristen Maltese Krusen, Susan R. McCaw,
Kitty and Bill McKnight, Peter S. Paine III, Barbara and
Randall Smith, and Scott Snyder.
Each
year, the HOPE Luncheon Seminar is held at the Plaza Hotel
in New York City and is attended by over 300 New York
philanthropists, asset managers, business and media
professionals, socialites, and celebrities who gather to
raise awareness about depression and its related mood
disorders as well as funds for continued research.
Founder
Sponsors: EGL
Charitable Foundation
Benefactor
Sponsors: Brian
Flaherty, Christina Flaherty, Annemarie Flaherty Shea & Max
Shea, Abraham Fuchsberg Family Foundation, Richard S. and
Karen LeFrak Foundation, Paulson Family Foundation and SAGE
Therapeutics.
Diamond
Sponsors: James
R. Borynack & Adolfo Zaralegui/ FINDLAY GALLERIES, Jamee &
Peter Gregory, Tania Higgins, Kristen Maltese Krusen, Susan
R. McCaw, Thomas C. Quick and Barbara & Randall Smith.
Patron Donors: Nancy
& Edmund M. Dunst / HUB International Northeast, Mary Ann
Fribourg, Susan Gutfreund, Maru M. Hagerty, Gillian Hearst,
Kim M. Heirston, Ambassador Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Sheila &
Bob Josephberg, JP Morgan Private Bank, Eleanora Kennedy,
Michele & Howard Kessler, Judy & Leonard Lauder, Kitty &
Bill McKnight, Peter S. Paine III, Scott Snyder, Lulu C.
Wang, The Shoreland Foundation, Sarah. J. Wetenhall and
Lynne Wheat.
Friend Donors: Bloomberg
Philanthropies, Laura Louise Breyer, Jackie Weld Drake, The
Honorable David Fischer & Jennifer Fischer, Dr. Sharon
Giese, Dr. Ernst & Nataly Langner, Susan Lloyd Lundbeck, The
Honorable & Mrs. Earle I Mack, Stephanie Olmsted, Betsy
Pitts, Roberts & Holland LLP, and Julia Ryan.
Gold Level
Donors: Carl
B. Adams, Catherine Adler, Mark Antilety, Muffie Potter
Aston, Paola Bacchini, Barbara Bancroft, Felice & Shelley
Bergman, Judy & Howard Berkowitz, Bruce Bierman & William
Secord, CeCe Black, Geoffrey N. Bradfield, Dominique Buaron,
Janna Bullock, Joanna Carson, Myron Cohen & Federman
Steifman, LLP, Diane Conn, Pilar Crespi Robert, Gus N.
Davis, Deborah Farrington, Marjorie S. Federbush, Firmenich
Inc., Frances & Jeff Fisher, Lionel Geneste, Jillian
Gilmour, Darcy M. Gould, Lisa Granozio, Jessica Gruss, Mai
Hallingby Harrison, Carolyn Ryan Healey, Linda Hickox,
Michael Kahn & Charles Mitchem, Karen Klopp, Margo
Langenberg, David Lapham, Bonnie Lautenberg, Simone
Levinson, Tyler Lucas, David Lynch Foundation, Christine
Mack, Ann & Cameron MacRae, Stewart S. Manger, Alberto
Mariaca, Kristina Grimm McCooey, Heidi McWilliams, Muffy &
Donald Miller, Diana Morrison, The Nederlander Producing
Company of America, Inc., Anne Nordeman, Deborah Norville,
Jane & Richard Novick, Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, Constance
Paine, Pamela & Edward Pantzer, Stacey Pashcow, Marina
Pellecchi, Kathy Prounis, Olga Reindlova Neulist, Darcy
Rigas, Barbara Robinson, Frances G. Scaife, Chuck
Scarborough, Nancy Schaffel, Mary Eastman Scott, Jean
Shafiroff, Catherine & Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff, Ramona
Singer, Valerie Sloan & Sean T. Dany, Mary E. Snow, Amanda
Taylor, Roxann G. Taylor, Barbera Thornhill, Lance P. Toland,
Betsy & Wallace Turner, Lis Waterman, Pamela P. Williams,
Barbara Winston, Clelia & Thomas Zacharias, David Zislin,
Silvia Zoullas, and Maria Zoullas-Kaufman.
Gift Bag
Sponsors: 4imprint, Cambridge
University Press, Compendium, Eric Javits inc., The Estée
Lauder Companies Inc., Fishers Finery, Hope Fragrances and
Sio.
ABOUT HOPE
FOR DEPRESSION RESEARCH FOUNDATION (HDRF)
HDRF
was founded in 2006 by philanthropist Audrey Gruss in memory
of her mother Hope, who struggled with clinical depression.
The mission of the HDRF is to spur the most innovative brain
research into the origins, medical diagnosis, new
treatments, and prevention of depression and its related
mood disorders – bipolar disorder, postpartum depression,
post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, and
suicide. The World Health Organization has declared
depression as the leading cause of disability worldwide, and
yet conventional medications today are outdated and do not
fully work for 50% of patients. HDRF is working tirelessly
to improve the mental health landscape for every American.
The Foundation has provided more than $75 million through
over 200 grants for breakthrough depression research that
promises to transform the way depression is viewed,
diagnosed, treated and prevented. Currently, HDRF has a
potential new class of medication in pilot clinical trials
at Mount Sinai Medical Center, and Stanford University. HDRF
is also funding clinical trials into other novel
therapeutics and diagnostic tests at Johns Hopkins,
University of San Diego, and the Center for Healthy Minds at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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