Every year Johns Hopkins holds a symposium to discuss ways to improve care and ultimately cure diseases like schizophrenia.  

In the words of Johns Hopkins, “Our symposiums bring together world-renowned experts in psychiatry and neuroscience whose areas of expertise are diverse yet complementary, towards better care and eventual cure of schizophrenia and psychotic disorders. 

This year, the speakers will present their cutting-edge and multidisciplinary approaches, including those that interface among molecular neuroscience, biomedical engineering, public outreach, and clinical psychiatry. We will hold an open panel discussion with both our invited speakers and experts at Johns Hopkins and round-table lunch discussions with the speakers.”

But, more importantly, the symposium this year specifically aims to “…translate the efforts of the lab bench to the bedside, and eventually to society by discussing and addressing schizophrenia and other mental illnesses from both clinical and scientific standpoints.”

What does this mean to you – the caregiver of someone with a serious mental illness, or even the person who has schizophrenia?  

Bottom line – these are the people who are deep in the research of new ways to treat this terrible illness.  In a symposium such as this, all of us who are lay people get the opportunity to rub elbows with those who are finding new ways to improve our lives. It is a great way to meet and talk to the people who are fighting for our loved ones.

The key details include:

Monday Evening June 24th, family mixer with doctors where families attend reception and have a panel of Hopkins clinicians to ask anything they want! This is free, hosted by Hopkins with refreshments provided.

Tuesday June 25th, schizophrenia symposium. Keynote is Brandon Staglin from One Mind. Four other researchers will present their latest discoveries. Raffle held to win eating lunch with researchers. Lunch is provided and the symposium is free.

If you’re interested in attending, drop me a direct message either on Facebook, or through my website, and I will introduce you to the people who can help coordinate logistics. You want to bet that I’ll be there, listening closely and asking a lot of questions! And, if you’re not familiar, Johns Hopkins is located right in the heart of Baltimore, Maryland.