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- Second annual awards program shines a light on the critical role young people play in envisioning, designing, and building a future where all people can access the critical mental health resources they need
- The Young Innovators Award is supported by Hopelab, Pivotal Ventures, Manatt Health, and Resonance Philanthropies
- Winners receive a cash prize and are invited to participate in the Behavioral Health Tech conference in Phoenix, AZ., November 5-7
SAN FRANCISCO, May 15, 2024 — Behavioral Health Tech, the leading community focused on expanding access to mental health, substance use, and IDD care through technology, health equity, and innovation, is now accepting nominations for its second annual Young Innovators in Behavioral Health Awards. The annual awards program, created in 2023 in partnership with Hopelab and Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, recognizes young leaders between the ages of 18 and 29 who have made significant contributions to the field of mental health access, awareness, and advancement in the U.S.
A significant number of children, teens, and young adults experiencing mental health issues go untreated due to various barriers to care, including social stigma, lack of trust in providers, and logistical challenges like cost or limited availability of specialized care. The awards program celebrates the young students, researchers, advocates, journalists, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, and more who have dedicated their lives to breaking down these barriers and improving how behavioral health and wellness care is accessed and delivered for people of all ages.
“The more we collaborate as a community, the faster we’ll drive positive change within the larger health care ecosystem,” said Solome Tibebu, founder and CEO of Behavioral Health Tech. “This awards program allows us to start important conversations with emerging problem solvers, bringing their fresh, critical perspectives to the forefront. We look forward to showcasing their new ideas and solutions and building on the foundation laid by the talented young leaders from last year’s cohort.”
The 2024 Young Innovators in Behavioral Health Awards program, supported by Hopelab, Pivotal Ventures, Manatt Health, and Resonance Philanthropies recognizes the emerging leaders paving new paths to build and support a more robust mental health and well-being ecosystem. Nominees will be evaluated based on their impact and influence in one or more categories: academia/research, community-based organization, clinical medicine, entrepreneurship, technology, activists/influencers, and media.
“To truly change the systems of care for young people of all backgrounds, it is essential that they are at the forefront of co-creating the mental health and well-being solutions that are most effective for their communities,” said Jaspal Sandhu, Executive Vice President of Hopelab. “All of us have a responsibility to support young people in these efforts and the Young Innovators in Behavioral Health Awards is one way to ensure that we are investing in their leadership.”
Last year’s inaugural awards program celebrated 30 young people. Winners will receive a cash prize and be invited to participate in the 2024 Behavioral Health Tech Conference in Phoenix, AZ., where they will be recognized during an award ceremony. Bruny Kenou, 2023 award winner reflected “I met amazing and driven young people who I hope to work with in the future for projects. I also met some of my mentors in person for the first time. This was a great opportunity to connect people in the behavioral health space.”
All nominations must be submitted here by June 18, 2024, and winners will be notified on August 16, 2024. Learn more about the Young Innovators in Behavioral Health Awards program here.
About Behavioral Health Tech
Behavioral Health Tech is the leading community solely committed to expanding access to mental health, substance use, and IDD services through technology, health equity and innovation. Our community is made up of patients, health plans, employers, health systems, behavioral health providers, startups, investors, pharma and policymakers to connect for the purposes of advancing access to behavioral healthcare for ALL individuals.
Our commitment to health equity is central in the design of all we do. You’ll see it in our speakers, events, communications and more. By convening stakeholders across the health care ecosystem – incumbents and new entrants alike – we facilitate the connections necessary for innovating culturally-sensitive, high-quality behavioral health for all.
About Hopelab
Hopelab is a transformative social innovation lab and impact investor working to support the mental well-being of adolescents, ages 10-25, especially BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth. Through targeted social impact investments, youth-centered design and research support, and translational science partnerships, the organization leverages 20+ years of co-creation experience to influence systems change while centering health equity. Learn more at hopelab.org.
Press contact: bht@hermespr.co
