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Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation’s Luncheon
Jackie Sabath of Wilmette with Buck and Margie Betten, both of Chicago | Photo courtesy of Jennifer Girard
SUPPORTING: The Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation
DATE: May 4, 2011
LOCATION: The Casino, Chicago
ATTENDED: 170+
Article Extras
Updated: June 28, 2011 8:35PM
On Wednesday, May 4, The Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation hosted its Fifth Annual Child and Adolescent Bipolar Medical Briefing Luncheon at The Casino in Chicago. More than 170 friends and supporters gathered to learn about Bipolar Disorder as a medical illness of the brain.
During the Luncheon, attendees had an opportunity to hear about the work of the Foundation with an update from its founders, Joyce and Dusty Sang, Ryan’s parents. In addition, Joyce shared the exciting news that the Foundation is partnering with The Chauncey and Marion D. McCormick Family Foundation to bring the Adolescent Depression Awareness Program (ADAP), developed by Dr. Karen Swartz of Johns Hopkins, to public and private high schools in the Chicago area so that teachers, parents and students can learn how to recognize teenage depression and bipolar disorder. Joyce acknowledged that this achievement would not have been possible without the tireless work of Judith McCue, the Co-Chair of Foundation’s Educational Committee, who was honored with a special Volunteer Award.
After lunch, guests heard from a world-class panel of leading doctors in the Bipolar Disorder field, including Janet Wozniak, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital; Timothy Wilens, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; James Potash, M.D., M.P.H., Arlene and Robert Kogod Professorship in Mood Disorders at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; David J. Kupfer, M.D., Chair, DSM-V Task Force, Professor and Former Chair of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical School; and Ellen Frank, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, Co-Director - Pittsburgh Bipolar Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Each panelist shared a unique facet about their work with Bipolar Disorder - from genetic predisposition to rates of substance abuse to diagnostic challenges - and then answered questions from the audience. The number of guests eager to share their personal or family stories and to ask questions was a testament to the Foundation’s efforts to reduce the stigma surrounding this illness.
Co-Chaired by Mamie Walton, Abby O’Neil, Amy Morro, and Marla London, the Fifth Annual Chicago Medical Briefing Luncheon raised funds to support the Foundation’s mission. The Honorary Chairmen were Priscilla Dombek, Ruth Edelman, Leslie Kennedy and Helen Melchior.
For more information about The Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation or to make a donation, please call 888-944-4408 or email mail@ryanlichtsangbipolarfoundation.org or visit www.questforthetest.org.
