This past Tuesday, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention was pleased to honor two dedicated and pioneering researchers in the field of suicide prevention at our annual Research Award Dinner in New York City.

Dr. David Brent was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his research in the area of adolescent suicide, which began at a time when many mistakenly believed kids didn’t experience depression or suicidal thoughts. As one of the first researchers to identify genetic and psychological suicide risk factors in youth, his decades of work have increased suicide prevention efforts for young people, including identifying suicidal risk factors and implementing interventions in clinical practice.

Dr. Brian Ahmedani was honored with the Annual Research Award for his transformational work studying patterns of care before suicide. We know that 45% of people visit their primary care physician prior to dying by suicide. Dr. Ahmedani’s research revealed that a health center-wide approach to suicide prevention lowered suicide deaths. His work resulted in national changes in suicide risk screening and prevention protocols in many healthcare settings.

Dr. Jill Harkavy-Freidman, AFSP’s senior vice president of research commented, “As our country faces an escalating mental health crisis, research is more essential than ever for advancing our understanding of suicide, and how to prevent it to save lives. Dr. Brent and Dr. Ahmedani have made considerable contributions to our understanding and prevention of suicide, and they continue to lead the field. It’s through research like theirs that we are helping to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide.”