Past DeWitt Wallace Institute Events

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

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 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

“Stalking Foucault: Erotomania, Poetry, and Psychiatric Power in Postwar France” Benoît Loiseau, Ph.D., New York University