Join AFSP for Our Upcoming Online Presentations!

L.E.T.S. Save Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention for the Black Community

Virtual Presentation Hosted by the AFSP Virginia Chapter

Saturday, February 24, 2024

10:00am - 11:30am EST

L.E.T.S. (listening, empathy, trust, support) Save Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention for the Black Community is a presentation that covers what we know about mental health and suicide, the most up-to-date research on prevention and what we can all do to help save lives.

AFSP Research Connection Program

Virtual Program Hosted by the Indiana Chapter

February 29, 2024

5:30pm - 7:00pm EST

Please join us for AFSP Indiana's Virtual Research Connection program, featuring:

Leslie Adams, Ph.D., MPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Topic: Addressing the Crisis of Suicide among Black Men: Real-Time Strategies and Future Directions
Time: Thursday, February 29th | 5:30PM - 7:00PM (Eastern) / 4:30PM - 6:00PM (Central)
Cost: Free

Researcher Bio:
Dr. Leslie Adams is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mental Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research interests explore the intersections between gender, racism, and public mental health outcomes among people of African descent, with specific focus on improving mental wellbeing among Black boys and men. Her externally-funded research agenda leverages smartphone-based approaches to bridge gaps in mental health care among those in crises. She also focuses, domestically and globally, on understanding the influence of racism across social contexts through comparative, cross-cultural mental health research among individuals of African descent. To conduct this work, Dr. Adams uses a variety of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, including latent variable approaches, intensive longitudinal design, semi-structured interviews, and community-engaged research approaches. Prior to her faculty position, Dr. Adams was a David E. Bell Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies. She completed her doctorate in Health Behavior at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and earned her B.A. and MPH from Dartmouth College.

Addressing the Crisis of Suicide among Black Men: Real-Time Strategies and Future Directions:
This virtual Research Connection will discuss the need for research to predict risk and prevent suicide among Black men, who have experienced an increase in suicide-related mortality in the past decade. Dr. Leslie Adams will introduce her recent AFSP Young Investigators Award project that aims to integrate digital health strategies using smartphones to identify suicide risk in real-time among Black men. The talk will cover the feasibility and acceptability of smartphone-based approaches to support future suicide prevention efforts with Black men.

Research Connection programs provide a unique opportunity for AFSP-funded researchers to share their work with communities following publication of findings.

Other Upcoming Events

Pirates Suicide Prevention Awareness Night is on Friday, May 10th, at 6:40 p.m.

Please come out and watch the Pittsburgh Pirates as they play the Chicago Cubs and support our AFSP Western PA Chapter!

Portions of the ticket sales will come back to the chapter! For questions or for groups of 10 or more, please contact Josh Avart with the Pirates at joshua.avart@pirates.com or 412-325-4903.

With the purchase of ticket sales, AFSP will get special recognition on the field and Jumbotron so make sure to look out for us! We will also have a table at the game with information and some swag!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact jputkoski@afsp.org.

Thank you so much and we look forward to seeing you at the game!

Purchase Tickets Here

Walk With Us!

2024 events are now open for registration

We are so excited to bring our Out of the Darkness walks back to our school campuses! Please stay tuned for updates on those and check our chapter website at https://afsp.org/westernpa for more events and information.

Waynesburg University - March 23rd

Chatham University - April 7th

Point Park University - April 11th

University of Pittsburgh - April 13th

Slippery Rock University - April 14th

Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus - April 19th

Duquesne University - April 20th

La Roche University - April 26th

There are also some FUNdraising Tips for your journey, including an activity tracker, Milestones, Achievement Badges, the option to add fundraising incentives, and livestreaming your page.

By registering for a Western Pennsylvania Campus Walk, raising funds, and inviting others to join you, you are bringing awareness to the cause and truly saving lives. Just click on the button below!

If you have graduated, please know that Alumni can still support their school virtually! Feel free to pass this along to anyone who may be interested.

Thank you for your continued dedication to AFSP and our shared mission to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide.

Find a Campus Walk Near You

Registration is now open for the 2024 Pittsburgh Out of the Darkness Walk and Washington County Out of the Darkness Walk!

As the walks get posted and dates approach, the Walk Pages appear on our Western PA website and they will be updated with more details.

Your involvement increases awareness, funds scientific research, and provides resources and aid to those impacted by suicide. With your help, we can take action against this leading cause of death and create a culture that's smart about mental health!

We're grateful for your support and everything you to for your teams, our community and AFSP!

Find a Community Walk Near You

Annual Giving Society

Circle of Hope is a passionate group of individuals dedicated to funding efforts to prevent suicide through a personal gift to one of Pennsylvania's three chapters of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Through society member support, life-saving strategies and programs will be brought to local Pennsylvania communities so we can one day build a world without suicide. Join us today as a charter member of this new society and become a partner in saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide.