Princeton, NJ, April 8, 2024— The Sozosei Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Otsuka dedicated to the decriminalization of mental illness, will gather the nation’s most creative, impactful leaders in mental health at the 2024 Sozosei Summit to Decriminalize Mental Illness on April 16 and 17. Taking place at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, the Summit offers a unique landscape for attendees to spark and engage in thought-provoking conversations surrounding access to mental healthcare, focusing on intersectional, data driven decriminalization strategies.
FEBRUARY 2024 – As I look forward to the 2024 Sozosei Summit to Decriminalize Mental Illness from April 16-17, 2024, and our March 1, 2024, Virtual Convening on 988, I am reminded that convenings can be a philanthropic superpower. Ideally, they foster collaboration, provide a landscape to share insights, and kick-start or advance common goals. When they are at their best, convenings can help develop meaningful and actionable solutions. Of course, convenings can also fall short.
JANUARY 2024 – For the past two decades, I have made a calendar using photos I have taken in the preceding year. At first, the calendar featured my children. Once the teen years settled in, the topic of the calendar switched to the family dog.
I like making an annual calendar of photos of the year gone by because it gives me an opportunity to reflect on that time period. The photos transport me through a range of memories. The retrospective also allows me to plan for the year ahead. What are my goals? What adventures should I plan? What should I spend time learning?
The Foundation recently kicked off a series of Global Solution Labs to surface more knowledge and perspectives about how to create a future where mental illness is not treated as a crime. Over 50 multidisciplinary “Solutionists” gathered on May 7, 2021, to take on the ambitious task of identifying the top solutions to move the needle on the decriminalization of mental illness.
In the spirit of collaboration, we recently hosted a Virtual Book Club featuring authors and renowned psychiatrist Dr. James Knoll and renowned psychologist Dr. Joel Dvoskin. Led by Sozosei Board Member, Mary Chi Michael, Dr. Knoll and Dr. Dvoskin discussed their contribution to the recently released book, “Decriminalizing Mental Illness” with more than 100 attendees.