The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) held its 36th annual Lifesaver’s Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City and honored Kate Comtois, PhD with their Annual Research Award. AFSP is a leading suicide prevention organization in the United States. In addition to Dr. Comtois, the honorees included mental health advocates Ethan and Naomi Sacks, media personality Jay Glazer, researcher Marsha Linehan, and AFSP honored Eric and Terry Murray, parents of the late PGA Tour player Grayson Murray with the Survivors of Suicide Loss Lifesaver Award.

Dr. Comtois is a clinical psychologist specializing in suicidal thoughts and behavior, psychiatric disability and employment, and borderline personality disorder. Dr. Comtois has revolutionized suicide prevention by developing game-changing interventions that have transformed how clinicians approach and treat patients with suicidal thoughts, behavior and risk. Her innovative work — including Caring Contacts, adaptations of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS), and Preventing Addiction Related Suicide (PARS) — has equipped thousands of providers with effective tools to engage with high-risk individuals and save lives across diverse clinical settings. Dr. Comtois currently serves as a scientific advisor to AFSP and has received several AFSP grants, including a 2006 Distinguished Investigator Grant and a 2015 Focus Grant for her work on reducing short-term suicide risk after hospitalization.

“AFSP is honored to host the Lifesaver’s Gala every year to recognize outstanding contributions and milestones in suicide prevention,” said AFSP Chief Executive Officer Robert Gebbia. “Each distinguished honoree has significantly advanced suicide prevention through their research, advocacy or by sharing their personal stories of how suicide has affected their lives, which helps inform the public about suicide and its prevention.”