Hilary Marusak, Ph.D., associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has been selected as a 2024 Rising Star in Mental Health Research by a leading mental health non-profit organization.

The One Mind Rising Star Awards celebrate innovative researchers in neuroscience and psychiatry who are pursuing high-risk, high-reward projects aimed at advancing understanding, treatment and prevention of mental health conditions. Selected through a rigorous grants process by One Mind’s Scientific Advisory Board, awardees represent the future of mental health research.

Dr. Marusak presented her research, “Understanding adolescent suicide risk: Investigating the role of the endocannabinoid system,” Sept. 7 at the Science and Innovation Symposium, a component of the 30th annual One Mind Music Festival for Brain Health, in Napa Valley, Calif.
 
She also will receive a $300,000 grant over three years from One Mind to support her research.

Suicide among young people is a critical global issue, with suicidal ideation occurring frequently during adolescence, Dr. Marusak said. Yet, the underlying biological mechanisms linking stress response and suicidal ideation in youth remain unclear. In investigating the role of the endocannabinoid system in adolescent suicidal ideation and its association with brain regulation of emotion, Dr. Marusak aims to uncover crucial biomarkers that may predict the risk.

“This research promises to advance our understanding of adolescent mental health, paving the way for targeted interventions and innovative treatments to support at-risk youth,” she said.

“I am very excited to lead this new line of work tackling adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors and am thankful to One Mind and the Miñana/Lovelace family for their generous support and for believing in myself and my incredible team at the WSU THINK lab,” Dr. Marusak said. “I’m also thankful to TNP student Samantha Ely, who is spearheading this work and had the courage to ask these important questions, as well as to Sam’s incredible committee and our exceptional collaborators: Drs. Leslie Lundahl, Ana Daugherty, Tehmina Shakir, Kathryn Cullen (University of Minnesota),and Cecilia Hillard (Medical College of Wisconsin).”

The awards, One Mind organizers said, are made possible by the support of Bristol Myers Squibb, Indianapolis Colts - Kicking the Stigma, and Alicia Miñana and Rob Lovelace.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the music festival, which has raised hundreds of millions of dollars—allowing it to leverage millions more in grants from the National Institute of Mental Health—to support research by the country’s brightest minds and the most innovative solutions to support those impacted by brain disorders.

“Science and research are the backbone of our work,” said Kathy Pike, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of One Mind. “Thanks to our generous donors, we are able to support the most promising neuropsychiatric researchers, the most innovative entrepreneurs and the most pioneering workplaces looking to transform our understanding of mental health and mental illness.”

Launched in 1995 by Shari and Garen Staglin as their means to “run toward the problem” of their son’s schizophrenia diagnosis, One Mind has become a leading mental health non-profit supporting neuropsychiatric brain research.