The STARR Coalition

The STARR Coalition There is a gap in the system of care. As a part of the holistic treatment approach, we understand the vital role medications play in recovery.

The STARR Coalition's mission is to create MEANINGFUL CHANGE in the mental health landscape by increasing COMMUNICATION, PARTNERSHIPS, and GOODWILL among mental health researchers and the communities they serve. The STARR Coalition was formed to create positive change by increasing communication, partnerships and goodwill among stakeholders in the areas of treatment, advocacy, and pharmaceutical r

esearch with emphasis on consumers and patients mental health recovery. Many individuals struggling with mental illness continue to seek medication which will alleviate symptoms. Patients need to know they have the ability and right to participate in clinical trials in the hopes of clearing the path for new opportunities in pharmacology research. Patients also need the support of advocacy groups such as NAMI to ensure accountability in their treatment as well as assist in understanding guidelines and rights of individuals in trials and treatment. The STARR Coalition recognizes many golden threads in this union between stakeholders. All parties share the goal of ensuring individuals find a personal level of recovery from their symptoms. Positive outcomes necessitate treatment compliance with individuals invested in their care and recovery. Advocacy groups such as NAMI provide a wealth of support and information to consumers and their caregivers or families. By directing efforts to strengthen advocacy organizations from grassroots to national levels, we reinforce cooperation among all participants. Again, we hope to bring all of these parties together to form a work-group to streamline communication to ensure those being served receive the highest standards of care.

In case you missed it -we're so proud to introduce our 2026 High School Stop the Stigma Champion: Anderson Kamga Fotso. ...
06/03/2026

In case you missed it -we're so proud to introduce our 2026 High School Stop the Stigma Champion: Anderson Kamga Fotso. 💚

Anderson is a senior at North Stafford High School in Stafford, VA. While school administrators spent over a year trying to get a mental health initiative off the ground with no traction, Anderson was already building one. He created Safe Space - a student club with a board, a budget, and a calendar of events - and then secured NAMI on Campus approval before graduation to make sure it would outlast him.
His motivation was personal. Five students in his county had died by su***de in five months, including a 12-year-old. He didn't wait for permission. He built the thing. And then he made sure it would last.

Congratulations, Anderson. You are exactly what this award was created to honor. 💚

🔗 Read more about Anderson: https://thestarr.org/stopthestigma/

Please SHARE - stories like this change the conversation. 💚

Mental health clinical trials are some of the most complex to run - and the operational challenges are real. 💚Join us Th...
06/03/2026

Mental health clinical trials are some of the most complex to run - and the operational challenges are real. 💚

Join us Thursday, June 18 at 3 PM ET for our next STARR Insider Session: Frontline Friction: Operational Challenges That Strain Mental Health Trials.

Three frontline experts will share what's actually happening at the site level - and what it takes to keep trials running well when the pressure is on:

* Sarah Kazmi, MD - Chief Operating Officer, CenExel Hollywood, FL
* Bethany B. Davis, MD - Board Certified Psychiatrist & Therapeutic Area Lead/Neuroscience, Trialmed
* Bonnie Segal - Co-Founder & President, Segal Trials

Moderated by Adam Simmons, VP Clinical Development & Operations, Newleos Therapeutics

This is a free webinar - register today and save your spot.

Register: bit.ly/frontlinefriction or directly via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/iYFYKfZrSamWnQFuOUHqzg

Please SHARE with anyone working in mental health clinical research. 💚

You've heard of semaglutide for weight loss. Now researchers are exploring what it might mean for depression. 🧠A new ran...
06/01/2026

You've heard of semaglutide for weight loss. Now researchers are exploring what it might mean for depression. 🧠

A new randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Psychiatry found that oral semaglutide significantly improved motivation in adults with major depressive disorder - reducing the perceived effort cost of tasks and increasing willingness to engage in rewarding activities.

Loss of motivation is one of the most debilitating symptoms of depression and one of the hardest to treat with conventional antidepressants. This early research suggests GLP-1 receptor agonists may open a new avenue for addressing that gap.

The study was small - 72 participants - and larger trials are needed. But it's exactly the kind of finding that reminds us why clinical research participation matters. Every study moves the field forward.

🔗 https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/news/semaglutide-may-improve-motivation-with-major-depressive-disorder/

Please SHARE to help build trust and awareness in mental health clinical research. 💚

Among people with major depressive disorder, treatment with semaglutide reduces the perceived cost of effort and improves motivation.

The best recruitment strategy isn't an ad. It's a relationship. 💚Sites that are genuinely embedded in their communities ...
05/29/2026

The best recruitment strategy isn't an ad. It's a relationship. 💚

Sites that are genuinely embedded in their communities recruit faster, retain longer, and earn the kind of trust that sponsors notice. But building those relationships takes time - unless you have someone doing it with you.

STARR Certification includes proactive community outreach on your behalf -identifying advocacy organizations and community groups within 30 miles of your site, making warm introductions, and tracking relationships over time.

You get an established network without starting from zero.

🔗 https://thestarr.org/intro-certification/

Stakeholders in Treatment, Advocacy, Research and Recovery

Stigma around schizophrenia shows up in quiet moments - a changed look, a step back, a family member who doesn't believe...
05/28/2026

Stigma around schizophrenia shows up in quiet moments - a changed look, a step back, a family member who doesn't believe the diagnosis.

Research Ambassador Thom knows this firsthand. In this piece, he shares what it means to live with schizophrenia, why awareness matters, and why getting schizophrenia "out of the dark" is so important.

Read his story. Then share it.
🔗https://thestarr.org/news/bringing-schizophrenia-out-of-the-dark/

Did you miss our May Newsletter? 💚 It's packed with Mental Health Awareness Month resources, site spotlights, the latest...
05/28/2026

Did you miss our May Newsletter? 💚

It's packed with Mental Health Awareness Month resources, site spotlights, the latest research news, and more.

Catch up here → https://conta.cc/3OTGiZe

Email from The STARR Coalition Mental Health Awareness Month, CBHCs and Research, Latest Site News, ICYMI news, and more!   STARR News & Updates May 2026 Every May, communities across the country turn

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) just proposed major changes to prior authorization for drugs - and the co...
05/27/2026

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) just proposed major changes to prior authorization for drugs - and the comment deadline is June 15. ⏰

For mental health patients and the sites that serve them, this rule has real implications. The good news: faster decision timeframes, required reasons for denials, and greater transparency. The concern: expanded step therapy requirements that could force patients through medication trials before accessing the treatment their provider actually prescribed.

For antipsychotics - where medications are not interchangeable - that's not a minor inconvenience. It's a clinical risk.

Your voice matters here!

Advocates, patients, caregivers, and clinical research sites all have standing to comment. Personal, real-world perspectives on how prior authorization affects access to mental health treatment are exactly what CMS needs to hear.

Learn more and find instructions for submitting comments at the link below.

Deadline: June 15, 2026.

🔗 https://thestarr.org/priorauth/

Please SHARE - the more voices CMS hears, the better. 💚

The $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program sounds like a lifeline for rural mental health. But for community be...
05/22/2026

The $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program sounds like a lifeline for rural mental health. But for community behavioral health centers that depend on Medicaid for 60–80% of their operating revenue, the fine print tells a different story. 💚

The cuts don't create a new crisis - they accelerate one already in motion.

This is where clinical research sites have both an opportunity and a responsibility.

Research sites have something Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) desperately need right now: a revenue model that doesn't depend on Medicaid. And CBHCs have something research sites need: established trust, existing patient relationships, and deep community roots.

The partnership model is there. The question is whether sites will step up to build it.

🔗 https://thestarr.org/news/clinical-research-sites-cbhc-partners/

Please SHARE to help build trust and awareness in mental health clinical research. 💚

There are more clinical research sites competing for the same studies than ever before. So what makes yours the one spon...
05/20/2026

There are more clinical research sites competing for the same studies than ever before. So what makes yours the one sponsors choose? 💚

STARR Certification is a credentialing signal that cuts through - not just to pharma and CROs, but to patients, caregivers, and the community organizations you're trying to partner with. It tells every stakeholder that your site has made a deliberate investment in responsible, community-connected research.

That reputation compounds over time. Start building it today.

🔗 https://thestarr.org/intro-certification/

Stakeholders in Treatment, Advocacy, Research and Recovery

For people living with schizophrenia, relapse isn't just a setback -it can undo years of progress. 💚The FDA has approved...
05/18/2026

For people living with schizophrenia, relapse isn't just a setback -it can undo years of progress. 💚

The FDA has approved CAPLYTA® (lumateperone) for the prevention of relapse in adults with schizophrenia. In a Phase 3 trial, patients on CAPLYTA had a 63% lower relapse risk compared to placebo - and 84% remained relapse-free over six months.

On average, adults living with schizophrenia experience nine relapse episodes over six years. Research that helps break that cycle matters - and it doesn't happen without clinical trial participation.

🔗 https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/fda-approves-snda-of-caplyta-for-the-prevention-of-relapse-in-schizophrenia

Please SHARE to help build trust and awareness in mental health clinical research. 💚

FDA expands Caplyta label to prevent schizophrenia relapse, cutting risk 63% and showing weight-neutral tolerability for sustained long-term stability.

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