CMAP Nexus Series 2025
About
CMAP's Nexus event series convenes top experts to tackle today’s most urgent policy challenges surrounding mental health and substance use disorders. Through these gatherings, CMAP provides decisionmakers from local, state, and federal levels with a collaborative space for discussing and advancing solutions to these critical issues. Learn more about the Johns Hopkins Nexus Awards here.
The Nexus series is held at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center, 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C., offering a prime setting for meaningful and impactful discussions.
The 2025 Nexus Series, titled A New Policy Agenda to Address Mental Health and Addiction in the U.S., will feature three events, each exploring a distinct sub-topic. Continue reading for details on these events and their focus areas.
A Mental Health in All Policies Agenda for the New Administration
Mental health challenges are not only common but carry significant costs, both financially and socially. These issues transcend party lines, presenting a unique opportunity for the new administration to prioritize mental health in public conversation and in policymaking. This panel will bring together leaders from government, foundations, and academia to discuss economic empowerment as a pillar of mental health in all policies agenda that can guide the next administration. The discussion will address how non-mental health policies can have effects on population mental health, and specifically how economic policies affect population mental health. Speakers will discuss the possibilities of efforts around building financial, physical, and social assets as a mental health policy priority. Join us on February 27th from 4:00–6:30 pm ET for this engaging panel discussion, followed by a networking reception.
Faculty lead: Catherine Ettman, PhD
Developing a Better System of Care for Nonfatal Overdose
The high recurrence rate of nonfatal overdoses has underscored the urgent need for more effective response systems beyond emergency departments. This event will gather experts in public health, addiction medicine, and policy to examine innovative approaches to overdose care that prioritize sustained engagement and support for individuals at risk of repeat overdose. Panelists will explore various models, from stabilization centers to supervised consumption sites and outreach teams, sharing insights on the key components and adoption challenges of these alternative approaches. Join us on March 17th from 10:00 am - 1:30 pm ET for a thought-provoking panel discussion, followed by a light lunch where we explore how we can advance alternative overdose response models across communities.
Faculty leads: Brendan Saloner, PhD, Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, PhD, and Sachini Bandara, PhD, MS
Suicide Prevention in U.S. Jails: A Public Mental Health and Corrections Collaboration
Suicide rates in U.S. jails and prisons remain alarmingly high, raising critical questions about the intersection of mental health and correctional systems. This event will convene experts in mental health, corrections, and policy to examine the current state of suicide prevention in jails and explore innovative solutions. Panelists will discuss current efforts in Maryland and beyond, focusing on the design and implementation of effective suicide prevention protocols and what more can be done to save lives. Join us for this important conversation on April 17th from 4:00-5:00 pm ET, followed by a networking reception from 5:00-6:00 pm ET.
Faculty leads: Olivia Sugarman, PhD, MPH, and Paul Nestadt, MD