The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention would like to express our condolences on the passing of Barbara Stanley, one of the foremost experts in the field of suicide prevention research. Dr. Stanley was a member of AFSP's national Scientific Council, Scientific Advisory and Research Grants Committee, as well as a recipient of multiple research grants that have furthered our understanding and ability to prevent suicide. As one of the founding members of AFSP’s New York City chapter, Dr. Stanley played a major role in ensuring that our knowledge of suicide and suicide prevention would reach those affected by this leading cause of death on a deeply human level, providing compassionate support through community. She also played a pivotal role in forging AFSP's partnership with the International Academy of Suicide Research (IASR), resulting in the ongoing biennial IASR/AFSP International Research Summit, the premier convening of suicide prevention researchers from around the world.

Over the course of her distinguished career, Dr. Stanley worked to understand the role that stress, biology and cognition play in suicide, and fostered real-world prevention efforts through the development of the widely used Suicide Safety Plan Intervention with her colleague Greg Brown. She studied the impact of treatments such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT-SP) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and was instrumental in understanding and preventing suicide for people with Borderline Personality Disorder. In addition, she advanced suicide prevention efforts for adolescents, Veterans and mental health professionals, and through state implementations of best practice in suicide preventions.

Dr. Stanley’s life’s work will reverberate into the future, as she also served as a caring mentor to many in the suicide prevention community, ensuring that her legacy will have a profound impact on all those who work to prevent suicide, and provide care and compassion to those affected.

Her passion and dedication, along with her contributions to the field, will be greatly missed.