Membership Events

Dr. Ngai BRAIN Initiative 

June 24, 2024 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

John J. Ngai, Ph.D., the Director of the NIH’s Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN®) Initiative joined the Friends of NIMH in a dialogue and provided updates on the Initiative.

Download Dr. Ngai’s Presentation

White House Mental Health Agenda Member Update 

February 15, 2024 | 3:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)


Friends of NIMH hosted a meeting with Terri Tanielian from The White House and Travis Hyams from the Office of Science, Technology, and Policy (OSTP). They shared an update on the Administration’s “Mental Health Research Priorities.

Friends of NIMH Dialogue with the Director 

June 29, 2023 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Joshua A. Gordon, MD, PhD, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) joined the Friends of NIMH in a dialogue and provided updates on the institute, covering the Congressional appropriations and budget, Congressional and White House interest in mental health research, and NIMH research initiatives, among others.

Download Dr. Josh Gordon’s Slide Presentation.

All of Us Presentation by Dr. Holly Garriock

April 17, 2023 | 2:00 – 3:15 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Dr. Holly Garriock, Chief Cohort Development Officer, provided an update on the All of Us research program.

Holly A. Garriock, Ph.D., is the Chief Cohort Development Officer for the All of Us Research Program.
Holly came to All of Us from the National Institute of Mental Health, where she managed a research portfolio of child and adolescent depression, anxiety, suicide, and trauma that supported her growth and expertise in the fields of child development and mood disorders. Holly did her undergraduate training in Canada; graduate training at the University of Arizona, where she received her Ph.D. in genetics; and postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Francisco.

Download Dr. Garriock’s Slide Presentation.

NIMH’s Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Initiative: Foundations and Future, a Friends of NIMH Membership Meeting

October 19, 2022 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

The Friends of NIMH Membership Meeting featured guest speaker Sarah Morris, Ph.D., Branch Chief in the NIMH Division of Translational Research, who provided a presentation on NIMH’s Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Initiative: Foundations and Future, followed by a Q and A session.

Below is a brief bio for Dr. Morris and here is a link of her recent publication on RDoC.

Sarah Morris, Ph.D., is a Branch Chief in the NIMH Division of Translational Research and Associate Head of the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Unit. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at UCLA and did research focused on learning and self-monitoring in schizophrenia prior to joining the NIMH in 2010. She now leads a branch which manages a portfolio of grant applications and funded grants focused on translational research in adult psychopathology. Dr. Morris also co-leads the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) effort to promote research that explores novel approaches to understand mental disorders.

Download Dr. Morris’s Slide Presentation.

NIMH Plans, Priorities, and Updates – Dr. Joshua A. Gordon Meets with Friends of NIMH

June 13, 2022 | 2:00 – 3:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), provided an update to the Friends of NIMH on the institute’s priorities, discussed research advances, and highlighted future directions for the mental health research field.

Download Dr. Gordon’s Slide Presentation.

NIMH 101

February 24, 2022 | 2:00 – 3:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

The Friends of NIMH hosted a crash course on how the NIMH works, and an intro to the institute’s processes and resources that will enable advocates to effectively monitor its programs.

Speakers included:

  • Phyllis M. Ampofo, MPH, CHES, NIMH Legislative Director
  • Tracy Waldeck, Ph.D., Director, Division of Extramural Activities
  • Meredith A. Fox, Ph.D., Director, Office of Science Policy, Planning, and Communications

Resources that were shared can be found below:

Legislation/Legislative Activities
Grant Processes, Funding, and Council
Resources, Communications, Outreach, and Advocacy Relations