Events at the DeWitt Wallace Institute

2026 Clinician Education Series hosted by The Center for Youth Mental Health at NewYork-Presbyterian Co-sponsored by the Weill Cornell Medicine Academy for Behavioral Health and Continuing Education Free registration: https://www.eeds.com/portal_live_events.aspx?ConferenceID=105467 Please note that registration will close at 11:59pm ET on the day before the event (October 22). 1 CE Credit Hour Available FREE for Psychologists (NY & APA-accepted), Social Workers (NY) and Mental Health Counselors (NY) Learn more CE information: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:us:8a1633e4-408d-49de-94c6-8832... Event Abstract: Cannabis remains the most widely used federally prohibited substance among U.S. adolescents, and the clinical landscape has changed faster than the evidence base guiding our response to it. This presentation opens with national surveillance data, distinguishing prevalence from exposure and explaining why rising potency and the shift toward new methods of cannabis consumption (concentrates and edibles) require further study. It then reviews short- and long-term associations, including acute cognitive and psychomotor impairment, hyperemesis, and psychotic symptoms, alongside longitudinal risk for cannabis use disorder, psychosis onset, mood and suicidality outcomes, and educational attainment. The presentation will then shift to review current assessment and treatment options for cannabis use in young people. Adolescence and young adulthood is a critical time to intervene, as over 90% of people with substance use disorders begin their substance use during adolescence. Unfortunately, the vast majority of adolescents and young adults with substance use disorders go untreated, and they are the least likely age group to receive treatment. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) recently published revised principles for the treatment of adolescent substance use disorders. These include the need for clinicians to intervene as young as possible, to tailor treatment to the individual’s needs, using evidence-based practices including motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral interventions, family interventions, among other items. This presentation will review the rationale for evidence-based treatments, as well as a multicomponent toolkit aimed at helping clinicians use evidenced-based modalities to treat youth and young adults with cannabis misuse. Learning Objectives: 1. Describe national epidemiological trends in cannabis use among youth. 2. Discuss the short- and long-term associations between cannabis use and health and behavioral outcomes in youth. 3. Explain neurobiological changes associated with cannabis use during youth and adolescence. 4. Describe treatment modalities for treating substance use disorders in adolescents and young adults. 5. Compare different approaches for treating substance use disorders and problematic substance use in adolescents and young adults. Featured Presenters: Ryan S. Sultan, M.D. - Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons John Mahlstedt, M.D. - Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine

“The Missing Children: Conversion Therapy, the First Amendment, and Chiles v. Salazar” Anne Dailey, J.D., University of Connecticut School of Law

Lecture Title: "Where Are We? Where Have We Been? Anxiety, Depression and Trauma" John T. Walkup, MD Chair, Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Margaret C. Osterman Professor of Psychiatry Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Lecture Title: “Deprescribing Psychotropic Medications and the Identification of Pharmacological Endpoints” Joseph F. Goldberg, MD Clinical Professor of Psychiatry Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai

“Repairing the Family: Psychoanalysis and Terror in Cold War Argentina” Marco Ramos, M.D., Ph.D., Yale University

Lecture Title: “Antidepressant Treatment in Pregnancy: Are We Asking the Right Questions?” Katherine L. Wisner, MD MS Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Pediatrics Prenatal Mental Health, Developing Brain Institute Children’s National Hospital, Washington DC Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences

“LSD, Speed, and The Making of Biological Psychiatry” Justin Garson, Ph.D., Hunter College and The Graduate Center, CUNY

Lecture Title: “Probing and Rescuing Dysfunctional Brain Circuits in Depression” Conor Liston, MD, PhD Robert Michels, MD, Professor of Psychiatry Vice Chair for Precision Psychiatry Weill Cornell Medicine

2026 Community Education Series hosted by The Center for Youth Mental Health at NewYork-Presbyterian Free Zoom registration: https://nyph.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BCiWNeFXSESU2fIjPOCs5g#/registr... Open to community members, caregivers, educators, and professionals interested in supporting youth mental health Many young people face emotional, social and environmental challenges that can affect their mental health and well-being. Understanding the warning signs and risk factors associated with suicide can help families, educators and communities better support youth and connect them to care when needed. Join us for this free, one-hour webinar exploring current research on youth suicide prevention, including what we know about risk factors, barriers to care and emerging approaches that may help identify and support young people earlier. Learning Highlights: Common warning signs and risk factors associated with youth suicideWhy suicide risk can be difficult to recognize in young peopleChallenges youth may face in accessing mental health care and supportEmerging technology-based approaches that may strengthen suicide prevention efforts Featured Presenter: Yunyu Xiao, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor, Departments of Population Health Sciences and Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine

2026 Clinician Education Series hosted by The Center for Youth Mental Health at NewYork-Presbyterian Co-sponsored by the Weill Cornell Medicine Academy for Behavioral Health and Continuing Education Free registration: https://www.eeds.com/portal_live_events.aspx?ConferenceID=416425 Please note that registration will close at 11:59pm ET on the day before the event (September 27). 1 CE Credit Hour Available FREE for Psychologists (NY & APA-accepted), Social Workers (NY) and Mental Health Counselors (NY) Learn more CE information: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:68671c4e-7f7f-406b-a5fd-9a28... Event Abstract: This presentation provides an overview of current research aimed at improving the prediction, prevention, and treatment of adolescent suicide by integrating psychological theory, neuroscience, and digital health technologies. It highlights that suicide is a major public health crisis among adolescents and emphasizes the importance of interpersonal stress—particularly targeted social rejection—as a key contributor to suicidal thoughts and behaviors, supported by evidence from behavioral, neuroimaging, and electrophysiological studies. The presentation demonstrates that adolescents at elevated suicide risk exhibit distinct patterns of neural responses to peer rejection, negative self-referential processing, and social evaluation, which may help distinguish suicidal ideators from suicide attempters. It then introduces digital phenotyping, showing how smartphone-based data—including daily mood ratings, geolocation, activity patterns, text-messaging behavior, and language use—can be used to monitor dynamic changes in suicide risk and predict worsening mental health in real time. The presentation also describes the development of suicide-specific language models and digital biomarkers that improve detection of suicidal ideation and emerging depression. Building on these findings, the presentation introduces a smartphone-based intervention designed to provide continuous monitoring, safety planning, and just-in-time support for high-risk adolescents following emergency department discharge. Preliminary findings suggest that these technology-assisted approaches are feasible, acceptable, and may improve suicide risk detection and engagement with care, although larger clinical trials are still underway. Overall, the presentation underscores that combining clinical science, neuroscience, and digital technologies has the potential to transform suicide prevention by enabling earlier identification of risk and delivering more personalized, timely interventions. Learning Objectives: 1. List the neural, behavioral, and clinical features that precede youth suicidal behaviors. 2. Identify the gaps in care and obstacles in providing care for high-risk suicidal youth. 3. Describe the challenges in identifying when youth may be at risk to engage in suicidal behaviors. 4. Explain the promise (and challenges) in supporting high-risk suicidal youth through digital mental health interventions. Featured Presenter: Randy P. Auerbach, Ph.D., ABPP - Irving Philips Professor of Child Psychiatry, Columbia University