A note from the chair: I am beyond excited to have the opportunity to work with the members of this division! As I mentioned in my candidate statement prior to the election, I saw this role as an opportunity to help further my personal mission, which, put as simply and as humanly as possible, is to work to reduce the stigma associated with a diagnosis of a mental illness, and to inform policymakers of the desperate need to improve our response to the growing numbers of people diagnosed with a mental illness. I relish this opportunity and will do my absolute best to make the most of my time in this role. We’ve sent out a survey to all members in an effort to get a fresh take on where you see this division being its most effective. What programs, policies and practices should we consider as we develop our 6 and 12-month plans? I hope you will consider being an active participant in this process. I’m just a guy with a passion to help individuals and families who are navigating the difficulties associated with a diagnosis of mental illness. Many of you share that passion. We need your ideas and energy to transform that passion into action. Remember to renew your SSSP membership for 2024! Please encourage your students or colleges to join if they haven’t already. Membership renewal can be completed online at https://www.sssp1.org/ With your membership, you will receive SSSP and division newsletters with updates on annual meetings and opportunities for leadership and involvement. Renewal by December 31st offers you the chance to take advantage of the “Buy one, Get one free” divisional membership promotion. Division Student Papers Competition: Division student papers competition The Society and Mental Health Division announces the 2024 Graduate Student Paper Competition. Papers should involve an empirical analysis, either qualitative or quantitative, dealing with any aspect of the sociology of mental health. To be eligible, a paper must have been written during 2023 or 2024, and it may not be published or accepted for publication. Papers that have been presented at a professional meeting, submitted for presentation at a professional conference, or are under review for publication are eligible. Papers must be student authored. They may be single authored by the student or co-authored by more than one student but may not be co-authored by a faculty member or other nonstudent. Papers must not exceed 30 pages including all notes, references, and tables. Please note that your paper may only be submitted to one division competition. To submit your paper for consideration, send two copies to Madi Lowder (mel4037@uncw.edu). Please include (1) a cover letter indicating that you are submitting your paper for the competition; and (2) a letter from your advisor that certifies your graduate-student status and offers some brief comments about your work. In addition, authors are required to submit their papers through the annual meeting Call for Papers online system. The winner will be announced at the 2024 Annual Meeting and will receive a $100 cash award, a plaque of recognition, conference registration, and student membership. Sessions for 2024 Annual Conference: Sessions for 2024 conference Joint Sessions: S&MH/Educational Problems: "Addressing the Mental Health Crisis in K-16" Organizers: Kyla Walters/Doug Engelman S&MH/Health, Health Policy, and Health Services: "The Changing Impact of Technologies on Mental Health" Organizers: Yuying Shen & Virginia Brendt/Doug Engelman S&MH/Disability: "Shared Identity Making and Mental Illness" Organizers: Malinda Maconi/Doug Engelman S&MH/Disability: "Cultural Capital in Mental Illness and Disability Networks" Organizers: Ben Sher/Doug Engelman Division Sessions Organized by Member: Doug Engelman/Stacey Kolomer: "Student Mental Health on Campus: Who Isn't F*cking Crazy?" Alex Trillo: "Race, Class, Gender, and Mental Health" Lauren Cifoni: "The Benefits and Limitations of CBT with Justice-Involved Clients" General SSSP Announcements: General SSSp announcements Here are some of the SSSP updates and announcements if you did not already get a chance to view the newsletter. Paper submissions for the 2024 Annual Conference in Montreal will close January 31, 2024. Applications will be open until Feb. 1, 2024 for the 2024 Racial/Ethnic Graduate Fellowship. Be sure to book your room for the upcoming 2024 annual conference in Montreal. Reservations must be confirmed by July 8, 2024. Nominations for the 2025 election are currently open. You can nominate yourself or a colleague as a candidate for an elected office. Happenings in the Mental Health World: Happenings in the world of mental health The NIH has created the BRAIN Initiative or Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies. This initiative is dedicated to researching ways in which neurotechnology, can treat and cure challenging long term conditions. As of today, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) has seen success in the treatment of conditions involving tremors and seizures. However, the Director of the BRAIN Initiative hopes that this technology will be able to aid in treatment of mental health conditions, such as OCD, PTSD, binge-eating disorder, depression, and substance use disorder. Research recently came out showing major success rates in the improvement of patients with treatment-resistant depression, where 70% of patients were no longer depressed. The goal of the Initiative aims to promote patient centered care by collecting and documenting objective brain data. Click here for the full article: https://braininitiative.nih.gov/news-events/blog/brain-director-personalized-cures-horizon-fresh-take-established-technologies We want to hear from you! What do you want highlighted on our next newsletter or in our social media posts? Please reach out to Emma at etubens.smh.sssp@gmail.com with your ideas!