Suicide and Opioid Overdose | Black Futures Matter
Department and Center Events
Suicide and Opioid Overdose
Paul S. Nestadt, MD, Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Anxiety Disorders Clinic, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Dr. Nestadt specializes in the evaluation and treatment of anxiety disorders, particularly in behavioral interventions such as exposure-based therapies. Since completing residency, he has served as the primary supervising psychiatrist for the Johns Hopkins Hospital Anxiety Disorders Clinic, seeing patients from all over the US and worldwide for one-time consultations resulting in revised diagnosis and treatment recommendations. He also attends on the inpatient Motivated Behaviors Unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he treats patients suffering from comorbid psychiatric and behavioral crises.
Dr. Nestadt’s research focuses on the epidemiology of suicide. He is interested in the role of practical factors, such as firearm access and opiate use, in the risk of suicide death. His methodological expertise includes large scale regression based data analysis, post-mortem clinical evaluation, and evaluation of determination of manner of death. He also works with the Doubt/ OCD genetics group and the broader suicide prevention workgroup at Johns Hopkins.
Black Futures Matter: Suicide in the Black Community
Brandon J. Johnson, MHS ‘12 , Public Health Advisor, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Brandon J. Johnson, MH, MCHES, is a tireless advocate for positive mental health and suicide prevention services for youth and adults across the country. Brandon earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Morgan State University in 2008 and a Master of Health Science Degree from Johns Hopkins University in 2012. Currently, he serves as a Public Health Advisor at the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the Suicide Prevention Branch at the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this role, Brandon serves as a Government Project Officer (GPO) for various suicide prevention grant programs that target youth, adults, and health care systems. Brandon is also the GPO for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), which provides suicide-specific materials, webinars, and training to organizations and communities all over the country working to prevent suicides. Brandon is also the Co-Lead of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s Faith Communities Task Force. Brandon also serves as the subject matter expert in suicide among Black people within the agency.
He has led numerous projects to develop resources and materials to specifically prevent suicide among African-American youth, including representing SAMHSA on the 2020 HHS Report to Congress on African American Youth Suicide. Brandon is the creator of “The Black Mental Wellness Lounge,” a YouTube channel dedicated to discussing Black mental health and healing. The Black Mental Wellness Lounge is a YouTube page dedicated to the promotion of Black mental health tips, education, and resources for the community
Continuing discussion with speaker/students from 1:00 – 1:30 pm.
In person attendance strongly encouraged. Real time virtual attendance via zoom is possible for off-campus attendees.