The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) announced its 2023 Lifetime and Annual Research Award recipients, who will be honored at the upcoming Gala on May 4 in New York City. World-renowned mental health and suicide prevention researcher, Madelyn Gould, Ph.D., MPH, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, while global expert in suicide prevention and self-harm, Rory O’Connor, Ph.D., FRSE, FAcSS, will be honored with the Annual Research Award for his studies on how suicidal thoughts shift to suicidal behavior. Dr. Gould’s decades-long career has enriched our understanding of youth mental health and suicide prevention. Her evaluation of suicide crisis interventions guided the groundbreaking designation of 988 as the national number for suicide prevention and mental health crisis response. Meanwhile, Dr. O’Connor’s Integrated Motivational-Volitional (IMV) Model of Suicidal Behaviour has inspired research focusing on the development of interventions for near-term suicide risk. Both honorees have published extensively, with Dr. O’Connor recently releasing When It Is Darkest: Why People Die by Suicide and What We Can Do To Prevent It. The AFSP is dedicated to saving lives and providing hope to those affected by suicide. They achieve this through public education and community programs, research and advocacy, and support for suicide loss survivors.
