The STARR News: December 2020
May the holiday season fill your home with joy, your heart with love, and your life with laughter.

Warmest wishes for a healthy and peaceful Holiday and a very happy New Year!
The 2020 STARR Award Winners Announced!
Sponsor of the Year: Alkermes

Alkermes was chosen for the STARR 2020 Sponsor of the Year Award based on their leadership and contributions to mental health clinical research, as well as the company’s commitment to bringing the patient advocacy voice to the forefront of their work. Accepting on behalf of Alkermes was Lesley White, Manager, Patient Engagement, Public Affairs, who stated, “I am honored to accept this award from the STARR Coalition and, with the entire team at Alkermes, stand committed to continue building authentic, long-term relationships with national and local advocacy organizations as we work to help advance innovation with the potential to improve treatment options and outcomes for people living with serious mental illness.”
CRO of the Year: Syneos Health

Syneos Health was presented with the STARR 2020 CRO of the Year Award for the 2nd consecutive year based on their unwavering commitment and dedication to building goodwill across the mental health clinical research ecosystem and within the communities they serve. “Our team has worked hand-in-hand with The STARR Coalition on a number of projects and we have enormous esteem for our colleagues at the STARR, who work tirelessly on behalf of mental health clinical research. I am privileged to accept this award, which acknowledges Syneos Health’s dedication to running rigorous, impactful clinical trials and breaking down the barriers keeping treatments from getting to those who need them.” commented Dr. Alexandra Wise-Rankovic, Senior Vice President, Clinical Development at Syneos Health.
Advocate of the Year: DBSA

The STARR of Excellence 2020 Advocate of the Year was presented to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), who has distinguished themselves among stellar advocacy organizations in their ongoing commitment to the well-being of individuals they serve and to educating the public on the importance of mental health research to developing new treatments. Accepting the Award was DBSA CEO Michael Pollock, who said, “On behalf of everyone at DBSA, our sincere thanks for the recognition. We appreciate our partnership with the STARR Coalition. Every inch we advance together is a step toward improving the lives of those living with depression and bipolar disorder. We are proud to contribute to that progress."
2021 STARR Certification
As we are approaching Certification renewals, we are excited to announce some new features and benefits we are working on for the STARR Site Certification!
Your STARR Certification makes you part of a network of sites that are committed to promoting mental health research within their communities and are maintaining best practices within their organizations.

We're excited to announce some of the Coalition's plans for new benefits and features for the 2021 Certification:


  • Diversity Workgroup & Diversity Pledge.

  • Workplace Mental Health Awareness and Pledge.

  • Post-trial Volunteer Thank you.

  • New Site-specific advocacy webpage & downloadable pdf.

  • Monthly zoom conversations - sharing expertise with the community.

We'll share more information on each feature as we move into the new year!

Everything
The STARR Coalition does
comes from our members and stakeholders
looking to make
Positive Change.
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Your Generous Donation is Sincerely Appreciated!

Help us continue to promote understanding, build trust, and inspire fellowship within communities.

Your tax deductible contribution helps The STARR Coalition continue our mission and helps support the important programs developed to support YOU, our STARR Community.
The STARR Coalition is partnering with thought-leaders across the industry and advocacy to create a National Call-to-Action to promote Mental Health Research. We are working on creating a campaign consisting of actionable items anyone can use to help bring mental health research into the same light as cancer, diabetes or heart disease. We need everyone's help promoting this National Call to Action! If you are interested in joining the workgroup, please call, text, or email us! 
Visit us on the web at www.thestarr.org. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, connect with us on LinkedIn. Be active, make change!
The STARR Coalition | phone: 501.944.8653 | fax: 501.224.1340 | www.thestarr.org