The STARR Coalition

10/21/2026

Does your research site invest in its community? STARR Site Certification recognizes sites that build real relationships with advocacy groups and community organizations, and we're welcoming new Certified Sites.

Your first year is a foundation year, and the first step takes just a few minutes: https://thestarr.org/pre-assessment/

The STARR Site Certification was created to promote empathy and communication between research site staff and patients, caregivers, and advocacy groups, as well as providing ongoing support for best practices around areas identified by the stakeholders of The STARR Coalition. The first step in the S...

10/19/2026

Losing interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy, called anhedonia, is a core symptom of depression. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial in Nature Medicine tested adding pramipexole, a medicine also used for Parkinson’s disease, to the treatment of 85 adults with depression or bipolar depression and significant anhedonia. Over nine weeks, anhedonia scores dropped more with pramipexole than with placebo, and the improvement held through a six-month follow-up.

It’s a single-center trial, and this is research, not treatment advice. But it shows how studies are increasingly targeting specific symptoms, not just diagnoses. 💙

Read the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42286321/

Anhedonia is a core and disabling symptom of mood disorders with limited treatment options. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of the dopamine agonist pramipexole in patients with mood disorders characterized by clinically significant anhedonia. In this single-center, randomized, double-blind, pla...

10/16/2026

Good research starts with listening. NIMH encourages researchers to ask communities directly what would make taking part easier, from time off work and transportation to childcare and concerns about stigma or trust, and to share information in the language people speak at home.

When research is built around real lives, more people can say yes on their own terms. 💙

Source: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/funding/grant-writing-and-application-process/points-to-consider-about-recruitment-and-retention-while-preparing-a-clinical-research-study

Points to Consider about Recruitment and Retention While Preparing a Clinical Research Study

10/14/2026

Two more voices joining our October 29 conversation: Dr. Shishuka Malhotra of Neuro-Behavioral Clinical Research and Dr. Marlene Hart of CenExel Tampa.

Dr. Malhotra, a STARR founding member and our 2025 Lew Yagodnik Award recipient, also founded the Ohio Center for Hope, which provides free mental heal

Dr. Hart is a board-certified psychiatrist with 30-plus years of experience who leads research at CenExel Tampa, one of our newest STARR Certified Sites.

They'll join us to talk about how community screening opens the door to care, and how research can be a trusted option for people who want it.

Thursday, October 29 at 2:00 PM ET.
Registration is required: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/l1PHU34BToGgmNq7bBjM_w #/registration

Please share with anyone who might want to join.

10/12/2026

Why does the same treatment work for one person and not another? A new ACNP position paper, from a group that includes academic researchers, NIMH scientists, FDA staff, and industry, lays out a roadmap for testing whether blood tests, genetics, EEG, and wearable data could one day help match people to the right treatment sooner.

It’s early. The authors say few of these biomarkers are validated yet. But the goal is clear: less trial and error in finding what works. 💙

Read more: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/acnp-position-paper-lays-out-roadmap-for-biomarker-guided-psychiatric-drug-trials

A cross-sector ACNP task force calls for shared standards and shared data to move psychiatry beyond trial-and-error prescribing.

10/10/2026

Today is World Mental Health Day and World Homeless Day. 💚

This year's World Mental Health Day theme is "Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change." Some of the voices that most need to be heard belong to people experiencing homelessness. At least 1 in 5 live with a serious mental illness, yet they're rarely included in the research that shapes future care.

Better care starts with listening to everyone. Share this to help spread the word.

Learn more:https://www.tac.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/TAC_ORPA_ResearchSummary_Homelessness.pdf

https://wmhdofficial.com/

10/09/2026

Our October newsletter is out! 📬

Depression Awareness and Mental Health Screening Month, ways research sites are meeting people where they already are, and community stories from sites across the country.

Catch up here: https://conta.cc/3TCMKWY

Email from The STARR Coalition Depression Awareness and Mental Health Screening Month   STARR News & Updates October 2026 Your Next Participant Isn't Searching for a Trial As of September 19, Clinic

10/08/2026

Big week for mental health advocacy! 💚

The Mental Health America 2026 Conference kicks off today in Washington, D.C., around the theme "More Good Days, Together," bringing advocates, clinicians, and community leaders together to improve mental health for everyone. We're cheering on everyone attending!

Learn more: https://mhanational.org/conference/

Discounted rates for the general public, nonprofits and governments, and youth and young adults are available for a limited time.

10/07/2026

Meet one of our panelists: Theresa Nguyen from Mental Health America.

Theresa leads MHA's research team and screening program, including free, anonymous online tools that help people take a first step toward care on their own terms.

She joins our October 29 conversation at 2:00 PM ET on how community screening opens the door to care. Registration is required: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/l1PHU34BToGgmNq7bBjM_w #/registration

Please share with anyone who might want to be part of it.

10/05/2026

October is Depression Awareness Month and Mental Health Screening Month, and they go hand in hand.

National guidelines recommend that all adults be screened for depression, including new and expecting parents and older adults. A simple screening can be the moment someone learns what they're feeling has a name, and that help is available.

From there, people can explore every option, including clinical research, which helps bring new treatments to people who need them.

Help make that first conversation feel normal. Share this with someone in your life. 💚

Learn more: https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/screening-depression-suicide-risk-adults

Final Recommendation Statement Depression and Su***de Risk in Adults: Screening June 20, 2023 Recommendations made by the USPSTF are independent of the U.S. government. They should not be construed as an official position of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality or the U.S. Department of He...