News
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November 2024 keyboard_arrow_right
Drs. Heffner and Van Orden presented at the Gerontological Society of American Annual Scientific Meeting in Seattle, Washington
Dr. Heffner collaborated on a workshop with the new CONFIDE-ADRD Roybal Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, entitled "From Theory to Methodology: Designing Mechanistic Interventions in ADRD." Dr. Van Orden presented on data collected by Roc STAR investigators in a symposium on mental health in caregivers. Using data collected by clinical trials supported by the Roc STAR Center with caregivers experiencing caregiving stress and loneliness, 14% also reported feeling like a burden on others in their lives and 10% reported recent thoughts of suicide. As well, caregivers who reported perceived burden were 4 times more likely to report suicide ideation in the past month, supporting the relevance of both loneliness and perceived burden on others as potential intervention targets to reduce suicide risk in those caring for loved ones with dementia.
Van Orden, K. A. (2024). Perceived Burden on Others, Loneliness, and Suicide Risk in Caregivers. In C. Gould (Chair), Strengthening Caregiver Support: Assessing and Addressing Caregivers’ Mental Health Needs. Symposium presented at the 2024 Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting, November 15, 2024, Seattle, Washington.
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September 2024 keyboard_arrow_right
Dr. Rose Lin received the 2024 Sigma/Doris Bloch Research Award from the Sigma Foundation for Nursing to help support her research entitled, "Smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to collect momentary psychological data from older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI): A feasibility and acceptability study.”
Sin Yi Rose Lin also received the 2024 University of Rochester Postdoctoral Association Career Enhancement Award to support career development activities this academic year. Congratulations, Rose!
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August 2024 keyboard_arrow_right
We attended the 14th Annual Community Health Fair to inform community members about opportunities to participate in our research for caregivers of loved ones with dementia. We are grateful to the Black Physicians Network of Greater Rochester, Rochester Jamaican Organization, Rochester Black Nurses Association, Jordan Health, and the Rochester West Indian Festival Association for supporting the event.
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May 2024 keyboard_arrow_right
Dr. Maria M Quiñones, PhD ~ Latino Dementia Caregivers Research
Dr. Maria Quiñones received the University of Rochester Medical Center Dr. David Satcher Community Health Improvement Award for Junior Faculty for her commitment to research on the well-being of Latino caregivers of a loved one with dementia. With the award, Maria was able to honor her close community partner with a $500 donation, Ibero American Action League Centro de Oro , s enior center. Congratulations, Maria!
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April 2024 keyboard_arrow_right
Dr. Maria M Quiñones, PhD ~ Latino Dementia Caregivers ResearchDr. Maria Quiñones presented a poster titled “Cultural Adaptation of the Caregiver TLC Psychoeducational Program to Support Latino Dementia Caregivers” at the 4th Latinos and Alzheimer’s Symposium hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association in San Diego, CA (April 4-5).
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March 2024 keyboard_arrow_right
Dr. Maria M Quiñones, PhD ~ Latino Dementia Caregivers Research
Dr. Quiñones presented a symposium titled “ Barriers and Facilitators to Social Connection among Latino Dementia Caregivers” and a poster titled “ Engaging Latinos in Caregiver Research: Training Program to Address Challenges in Latino Community Advisory Board Development” at the Society of Behavioral Medicine conference in Philadelphia. Findings from these studies are informing potential intervention targets to address social connection among Latino dementia caregivers as well feasible community-engagement strategies to develop and sustain community advisory boards of minoritized communities in dementia care research.
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February 2024 keyboard_arrow_right
Sandhya Seshadri, PhD, MA, MS, research assistant professor in the Department of Neurology in the Neuropalliative Care Division at URMC, and Reverend Kelly Spahr, M.Div., BCC, chaplain in Neurology Supportive & Palliative Care Service and TAR Chaplain at Strong Memorial Hospital, presented "The Loneliness of the Long-term Caregiver: Exploring Connections for the Disconnected Caregivers of Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy-body Dementia Patients."
The majority of the estimated 1 million persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Lewy-body dementia (LBD) are often cared for by medically untrained older adult spouses. These caregivers can experience social isolation and loneliness, and are at high risk for chronic illnesses, anxiety, and depression. Social isolation and loneliness among older adults are associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes, including cognitive decline and higher rates of mortality. Current programs and potential future novel approaches to support PD and LBD caregivers to build connections will be discussed.
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January 2024 keyboard_arrow_right
Dr. Maria M Quiñones, PhD ~ Latino Dementia Caregivers Research
One abstract accepted to present findings from the “Cuidando Juntos” early-stage trial at the Latinos and Alzheimer’s Symposium in San Diego on April 4 & 5. The presentation is titled “Cultural Adaptation of the Caregiver TLC Psychoeducational Program to Support Latino Caregivers.”
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December 2023 keyboard_arrow_right
Dr. Maria M Quiñones, PhD ~ Latino Dementia Caregivers Research
Two abstracts accepted to be presented at the Society of Behavioral Medicine conference that will happen in March 2024 in Philadelphia. A symposium abstract titled “ Barriers and Facilitators to Social Connection among Latino Dementia Caregivers” and a poster titled “ Engaging Latinos in Caregiver Research: Training Program to Address Challenges in Latino Community Advisory Board Development.”
Take a look at this interview given on NPR by our Dr. Kimberly Van Orden
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/03/1216836513/why-elderly-men-have-the-highest-rates-of-suicides
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November 2023 keyboard_arrow_right
New Roc STAR Center research article published in The Gerontologist! The article is a collaboration between the Roc STAR Center and the Emory Roybal Center for Dementia Caregiving Mastery.
Community-Engaged Research with Latino Dementia Caregivers: Overcoming Challenges in Community Advisory Board Development
Maria M Quiñones, PhD, Silvia Sörensen, PhD, Kenneth Hepburn, PhD, Jahaira Capellan, PhD, Kathi L Heffner, PhDFollow this link to read the article: https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/advance-article/doi/10.1093/geront/gnad144/7329738?login=true
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October 2023 keyboard_arrow_right
On October 7, The Roc STAR Center hosted a community vendor table at the Rochester and Finger Lakes Region Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association Walk. It was a great opportunity to support our community partner and spread the word about Roc STAR Center and other research aimed at enhancing the health and well-being of family caregivers!Drs. Van Orden, Chapman, Conwell, Gallegos, and Silva received funding from NIA to study social disconnection in caregivers and suicide ideation (R01AG082882). Recruitment will be nationwide with fully remote participation. Information about enrolling will be available soon!
Study description: Providing care for a family member or friend with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD, hereafter ‘caregivers’) is a common experience for adults in mid- and later-life and can foster experiences that are beneficial to mental health, including increased purpose and feelings of mastery, but can also lead to poor mental health—anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation. Social disconnection is a common experience among ADRD caregivers and is one of the strongest risk factors for suicide ideation, attempts, and deaths. The objective of this study is to examine three indicators of social disconnection—loneliness, low belonging), and perceived burden on others—as mechanisms that increase suicide risk in ADRD caregivers.
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September 2023 keyboard_arrow_right
The Rochester and Emory Roybal Centers will be co-hosting a 2-part webinar series intended for researchers engaged in the development and testing of interventions to strengthen and support the work family members and friends perform to provide care and support for persons living with dementia illnesses. Considerations of the context of caregiving, including the cultural context within which it occurs, will be discussed during our webinars. These webinars will be hosted on September 25th and October 2nd from 1:30p-3:00p Eastern Time. See our flyer for more information and to access the link to register for the webinars.
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August 2023 keyboard_arrow_right
On August 3 rd Catherine Rivas, an undergraduate student from The City College of New York, presented a poster titled “Understanding Dementia Care Barriers among Latino Caregivers” at the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience NEUROCITY Summer Scholar’s Program poster session in Rochester, NY. Using qualitative data of discussions from 23 interviews with Latino dementia caregivers who participated in the early-stage study “Connection for Latinos Caring for a Family Member with Dementia,” the most important barriers to caregiving identified by the caregivers were lack of instrumental support, need for social connections, and lack of available resources tailored for Latinos.
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June 2023 keyboard_arrow_right
Engage Coaching, an intervention tested by Roc STAR investigators, was highlighted as an innovative practice to improve social connection in older adults with engAGED: The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults. This is a national effort to increase the social engagement of older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers by expanding and enhancing the Aging Network’s capacity to offer social engagement. Access the Innovations Hub.
Van Orden, Bower, Lutz, and Silva published results of their study on Engage Coaching for Caregivers in Aging and Mental Health. A summary of Engage Coaching is available here and the full manuscript will be available for free via PubMed Central soon.
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May 2023 keyboard_arrow_right
Social-LEAF Pilot Study has completed enrollment and will complete data collection in June.
Roc STAR Melanie Bobry, MS, RN, presented her developing dissertation ideas at the UR School of Nursing PhD Research Day. Melanie’s work grew out of her involvement in Dr. Norton’s Year 1 Roc STAR project. We are so proud to be growing the next generation of social connectedness researchers!
Dr. Maria M. Quiñones-Cordero presented a poster at the 2023 Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting held in Phoenix, Arizona. The findings highlight disparities in recruitment (i.e., age, language, and loneliness screening) of socially disconnected middle-aged and older dementia Latino caregivers. Her findings were recently published in The Clinical Gerontologist, read the article.
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April 2023 keyboard_arrow_right
Drs. Maria Quiñones and Kathi Heffner, along with Dr. David Marquez of the Midwest Roybal Center for Health Promotion and Translation, and others, will engage in a panel discussion entitled, “Latino Community Engagement in Behavioral Medicine Trials: Fostering Success” at the 2023 Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ.
New Roc STAR Center research article published in The Clinical Gerontologist! Read it here
Recruiting Socially Disconnected Latinos Caring for a Person with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned
Maria M. Quiñones PhD, Caroline Silva PhD, Carmona Ross MA, Silvia Sörensen PhD, Raquel Serrano HSD, Kimberly Van Orden PhD, and Kathi Heffner PhD -
March 2023 keyboard_arrow_right
Drs. Kim Van Orden and Maria Quiñones, along with Dr. Emily Bower of Pacific University, presented a symposium entitled, “Promoting Resilience in Dementia Caregivers: Roybal Centers for Translational Research on Dementia Care Provider Support” at the 2023 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry Meeting in New Orleans, LA. -
October 2022 keyboard_arrow_right
The Roc STAR Center and Emory Center for Caregiver Mastery co-sponsored a 2-part webinar series entitled, “Employing Design Thinking Methods to Create Behavioral Interventions Prioritizing Latino Caregivers.” This webinar, for investigators interested in developing behavioral interventions to support caregivers, comprised education in design thinking and facilitated discussion with Latino caregivers to discern needs and priorities in their roles providing care for a family member with dementia.
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November 2022 keyboard_arrow_right
Learn about the intersection of social engagement and mental health during @engAGEDCenter’s upcoming webinar on 11/18 from 1:00-2:00 PM ET. Dr. Van Orden will discuss Engage Coaching for Caregivers. Save your spot and register here
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May 2022 keyboard_arrow_right
Congratulations to Drs. Maria Quinones and Silvia Sörensen who received pilot funding from the Research Centers Collaborative Network of the National Institute on Aging, NIH for their pilot work entitled, “Engaging Older Latino Caregivers in Design of a Cultural Adaptation Clinical Trial.” This research represents a cross-center collaboration among our Roc STAR Roybal Center, the UR CTSI, and the Emory Roybal Center for Dementia Caregiving Mastery.
Congratulations to all!
Dr. Quiñones, who is the lead of the Roc STAR Latino Engagement Subcore, will present this pilot work at our May meeting of our Roc STAR seminar series.
This month is the launch of Charlando Sobre Nuestra Salud Mental y Cognitiva (Chatting About Our Cognitive and Mental Health) for older Latinos at Centro de Oro, the Ibero-American Action League’s senior center. This Spanish-language education series is coordinated and hosted by our Latino Engagement Subcore and involves presentations from Spanish-speaking clinical and research experts from UR and beyond.
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April 2022 keyboard_arrow_right
Dr. Reza Yousefi-Nooraie, Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Rochester will be presenting a the April meeting of the Roc Star Research Seminar Series
Dr. Heffner is serving on a panel discussion at the Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD (April 6-9) titled, “Adapting and evolving our methods in intervention development for older adults: Lessons learned from the global pandemic.”
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March 2022 keyboard_arrow_right
Dr. Reza Yousefi-Nooraie, Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Rochester will be presenting a the April meeting of the Roc Star Research Seminar Series
Dr. Heffner is serving on a panel discussion at the Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD (April 6-9) titled, “Adapting and evolving our methods in intervention development for older adults: Lessons learned from the global pandemic.”
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March 2022 keyboard_arrow_right
Drs. Van Orden and Heffner have a new publication in The Gerontologist describing the Roc STAR Center: https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/geront/gnac032/6541334
Roc STAR Center pilot investigators are presenting at the Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds on March 23 : https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/psychiatry/education/grand-rounds.aspx. Their presentation is titled, “Promoting Social Connection Among Latino and Older Adult Caregivers: Pilot Data From the Rochester Roybal Center for Social Ties and Aging Research
Roc STAR Speakers: Autumn Gallegos, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, URMC and Caroline Silva, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, URMC
Dr. Van Orden presented at the National Institute on Aging's Social Network Diffusion of Individual Behavior Change Interventions Virtual Workshop, March 2-4: https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/dbsr/social-network-diffusion-individual-behavior-change-interventions-virtual-workshop
On March 2, Dr. Sally Norton presented her Roc STAR pilot research at the Oregon Roybal Center for Care Support Translational Research Advantaged by Integrating Technology (ORCASTRAIT) Council Meeting, where pilot investigators from the 4 Roybal Centers for Dementia Care Support presented their work and fostered collaboration.
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December 2021 keyboard_arrow_right
Drs. Samantha Hack and Anjana Muralidharan will join us for Dec’s Roc STAR Research Seminar Series (12/9) to present their work on implementing and evaluating Connection Plans, a Whole Health Intervention to Promote Social Connections in Veterans.
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October 2021 keyboard_arrow_right
At this month’s Roc STAR Research Seminar Series (10/14), Dr. Yingzi Zhang, Assistant Professor of Nursing, will be presenting her research aimed at development of a dyadic intervention, targeting uncertainty around the cancer experience, for patients with gynecological cancer and their care partners.
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September 2021 keyboard_arrow_right
Roc STAR Center co-Directors in collaboration with the Aging Special Interest Group of the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) published a piece in the SBM Outlook quarterly newsletter entitled, “Behavioral Interventions for Social Connectedness in Older Family Caregivers: A Call to Behavioral Medicine.” Read the article here.
We have new Roc STARS among us! We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021 Pilot Awards, co-sponsored with generous support from the UR Aging Institute. The ProtoSTAR Award for an early stage investigator was awarded to Lee Kehoe, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Clinical and Translational Cancer Control Research Training Program who will develop and test a dyadic life review intervention for individuals with advanced cancer and mild cognitive impairment and their care partners. The STAR Constellation Award was awarded to Benzi Kluger, MD, the Julius, Helen, and Robert Fine Distinguished Professor in Neurology who will adapt and test a group program to promote social connection in caregivers of older adults with Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). This novel program emphasizes peer support and positive psychology to encourage care partners to thrive in their role. Congratulations!
This month’s Roc STAR Research Seminar Series (9/8) will feature a demonstration and discussion led by Drs. Sally Norton and Kim Van Orden on the latest “digitized” version of the Connect for Caregivers prioritization tool developed in Dr. Norton’s Year 1 Roc STAR Pilot Study.
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July – Aug 2021 keyboard_arrow_right
<< Seminar Series will break for July and Aug. Have a great summer! >>
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June 2021 keyboard_arrow_right
Dr. Amanda Leggett, Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan, will be joining this month’s Roc STAR Research Seminar Series (6/10) to share her work on “What’s Your Style? Characterizing Dementia Caregiving Styles to Improve Outcomes and Intervention Tailoring.”
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May 2021 keyboard_arrow_right
At this month’s Roc STAR Research Seminar Series (3/11), Dr. Benzi Kluger, Professor of Neurology, will present his proposal for a pilot study of a positive emotion group intervention for caregivers of persons with frontotemporal dementia.
UR CTSI Equity-Focused Dissemination and Implementation Webinar : State of the (Implementation) Science in Designing Intervention Feasibility and Pilot Studies
Description: Despite the utility and ubiquity of feasibility and pilot studies and their critical role in translational and implementation science, few health scientists are familiar with the growing conceptual and methodological literature on how to rigorously design and conduct these studies. Drawing on over twenty years of experience implementing various study designs along the translational continuum in the field of HIV research, and as an NIH reviewer, in this presentation James McMahon, PhD, associate professor of Public Health Sciences at URMC, will synthesize this literature and provide a best-practices guide for designing feasibility and pilot studies, with an eye toward health-equity implementation.
Speaker: James McMahon, PhD, Associate Professor of Public Health Science and in the School of Nursing, Co-Director of the Health Equity-Focused Dissemination and Implementation Function and a member of the Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design (BERD) consultation group in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
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April 2021 keyboard_arrow_right
No Roc STAR Research Seminar Series this month!
UR CTSI Equity-Focused Dissemination and Implementation Webinar : Intervention Failure? Maybe it’s Fidelity
Description: Interventions that have an impact under tightly controlled conditions frequently fail to demonstrate these same outcomes when transported to community-based settings. What accounts for the gap? One factor is that the program may not be implemented as intended, that is, with fidelity. This presentation will describe the key constructs associated with implementer fidelity, measurement of those constructs, studies that show their importance, and emerging issues.
Speaker: Wendi Cross, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Director of Clinical Psychology Training Programs, Director of Implementation, Dissemination, Evaluation and Analysis (IDEA) Core, Director of that Laboratory of Behavioral Health Skills (LaBHS), and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at URMC
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February 2021 keyboard_arrow_right
Dr. Lee Kehoe, a postdoctoral fellow in the Clinical and Translational Cancer Control Research Training Program, will be presenting her ideas at this month’s Roc STAR Research Seminar Series (2/11) for a new Roc STAR pilot proposal aimed at further development of a dyadic intervention for persons with cancer and mild cognitive impairment and their caregivers. January 2021
This month’s Roc STAR Research Seminar Series (1/14) will feature a presentation by Drs. Carol Podgorski and Zachary Baker on an intervention model for helping caregivers of individuals with ADRD navigate the bereavement process.
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December 2020 keyboard_arrow_right
Our 2021 Request for Proposals has been released!
Rochester Roybal Center & UR Aging Institute Funding Opportunity
The Rochester Roybal Center for Social Ties & Aging Research (The Roc STAR Center) and the UR Aging Institute are co-sponsoring pilot awards focused on promoting the social well-being and healthy aging of those caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. There are currently two pilot award opportunities—the STAR Constellation Pilot Award and the ProtoSTAR Pilot Award. Apply by Monday, January 25, 2021. Learn more about Rochester Roybal Center & UR Aging Institute Funding Opportunity.
This month’s Roc STAR Research Seminar Series (12/10) will feature a presentation by Dr. Andrew Anderson on: Neural signatures: a potential candidate methodology for studying dyadic processes in caregiving and impact on relationship quality & improving interventions.
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November 2020 keyboard_arrow_right
Our first annual Roc STAR Research Symposium is scheduled for 11/13, bringing together our Advisory and Steering Committees to hear about progress on our funded Roc STAR Pilot Studies.
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October 2020 keyboard_arrow_right
This month’s Roc STAR Research Seminar Series (10/8) will feature a presentation by Dr. Kim Van Orden who will discuss psychotherapeutic approaches to reducing loneliness.
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September 2020 keyboard_arrow_right
The Roc STAR Center’s co-Director, Dr. Van Orden, will be presenting at two upcoming webinars for strategies to support social connections in later life by creating ‘Connections Plans’.
1. “Creating a ‘Connections Plan’ to Reduce Social Isolation and Reduce Suicide Risk” The 2020 Suicide Prevention Coalition Academy Webinar Series, The Suicide Prevention Center of New York State. Sept 2 noon-1pm 2. “Supporting Connection in Later Life,” with CAMH (Center for Addiction and Mental Health) Thursday September 10, noon-1pm
Roc STAR Center co-Director, Dr. Kimberly Van Orden, and Roc STAR Pilot Investigator, Dr. Caroline Silva, will be presenting in the NIMH Division of Translational Research, 2-day virtual workshop ( September 17-18, 2020), “Social Disconnection in Late Life Suicide” which will bring together clinician scientists, behavioral scientists, neuroscientists, geriatric psychiatrists, epidemiologists, and implementation scientists to discuss the current state of the science on social disconnection and suicide. For more information, please see https://www.nimhsocialdisconnection.com/