Foundation of Hope Child and Adolescent Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program
Our kids and teens are dealing with a national mental health crisis, and we must act immediately to address this escalating emergency in our community. The statistics are grim. One in six U.S. youth ages 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year. Suicide rates are at an all-time high and are the second leading cause of death for individuals ages 10-34.
The global pandemic has exacerbated these staggering numbers. We are seeing an unprecedented explosion in pediatric mental, emotional, and behavioral conditions, and the demand for mental health services continues to rise dramatically. Children’s hospitals across the country are overrun with kids experiencing critical depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts.
Without a doubt, there is a great need for research innovation to address the epidemic of child and adolescent anxiety and mood disorders. Creating a promising future for our country means ensuring that all children have a fighting chance to reach their full potential with healthy, productive lives.
The Foundation of Hope has been a dedicated partner of our department, supporting our research mission and helping to break the mental illness stigma. The Foundation of Hope has pledged a $1 million commitment as the impact gift to create this new program. It is our goal to use this support to create a leading Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry here at the UNC Department of Psychiatry.
New World Class Program
CHAAMP is the first of its kind in NC. The Program will operate within the Department of Psychiatry at UNC, conducting cutting-edge translational research to advance understanding and treatment of child and adolescent anxiety and mood disorders, lead outcome improvements, and revolutionize care delivery for vulnerable children.
Accelerating Breakthroughs
CHAAMP is recruiting a nationally known, leading researcher in child and adolescent anxiety and mood disorders. This Scholar will ensure that our Program is engaged in research that catalyzes innovation and sets the stage for future development of new research and researchers in this critical area.
Hope for Tomorrow
Our goal is to create a state-of-the-art research program that expands our knowledge of the child and adolescent brain, creates novel treatment protocols, and trains future generations of clinician scientists .We believe the new CHAAMP program will save thousands of lives.
“There’s been a long-standing shortage of adolescent psychiatrists and psychologists. And a horrible lack of research. We desperately need people working in this area or we risk losing this generation. There’s a huge need to make changes and to make them now. The goal of CHAAMP is to build a world-class clinical research program that will lead to increased understanding of underlying causes and ways to both prevent and treat children and adolescents who suffer with anxiety and mood disorders.” Samantha Meltzer-Brody, MD, MPH
“Kids are figuring out who they are so it’s all about identity. What kind of person they want to be. Where they fit in. They’re completely stressed out. Add in COVID-19 and kids are dealing with life and death situations. It’s a really hard time to be an adolescent. We need to improve access to care. With CHAAMP, we’ll bring in someone experienced in kids and research. And we’ll give them the tools to be successful.” Tye Hunt-Harrison, MD, MPH