About This Event
An unprecedented community gathering — fully underwritten as a gift to our region — hosted by Aspire Advocates and St. Louis County Library. Featuring Harvard University’s Dr. John Kelly alongside young people with lived experience of recovery, this rare opportunity (valued at $100+) centers on hope, healing, and what truly helps young people thrive.
Complimentary registration | Limited seating | Please register by April 6.
Join national experts, youth, and community leaders for an evening of learning, collaboration, and hope—exploring what truly sustains long-term recovery in young people. Featuring Dr. John Kelly of Harvard University’s Youth Recovery Research Program (https://youthrecoveryanswers.org) world-renowned experts on youth Substance Use Disorder and recovery.
This FREE Community Event for youth, families, schools and community members includes:
- Evening Keynote: The Science of Hope
- Youth Stories of Recovery – Real voices of strength and hope
- Recovery Resource Fair – Connect with local youth treatment and support programs
- Complimentary Food and Beverages will be Served
Our goal for There is Hope is simple yet urgent: to ensure every young person in St. Louis has access to the right care, at the right time, with the right supports for lasting recovery.
Who Should Attend?
Parents and Care Givers - Moms, Dads, Foster Parents, Guardians, Grandparents, Aunties and Uncles
Young People - Anyone between the ages of 11 and 26
Community - Faith Leaders, Youth Mentors, Coaches and Community Volunteers
Do you work professionally in behavioral health, schools, juvenile justice, foster care or community health? Click HERE to visit our registration for professionals page with full-day learning opportunities.
Event Schedule
Meet The Speakers
John F. Kelly, Ph.D., A.B.P.P.
Dr. Kelly is the Elizabeth R. Spallin Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School – the first endowed professor in addiction medicine at Harvard. He is also the Founder and Director of the Recovery Research Institute at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the National Center on Youth Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery at MGH. He also serves as the Chief of the Division of Addiction Treatment and Prevention across the Mass General Brigham (MGB) Academic Medical Centers (AMC) Department of Psychiatry (AMC Psychiatry).
Dr. Kelly is a former President of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Society of Addiction Psychology, a founding member and inaugural President of the American Board of Addiction Psychology, a Fellow of the APA, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has served as a consultant to U.S. federal agencies and non-federal institutions, as well as foreign governments, the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
Dr. Kelly has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, chapters, and books in the field of addiction medicine, and was an author on the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health. He has won numerous state, national, and international lifetime achievements and distinguished scientist awards for his work.
His clinical and research endeavors have focused on addiction treatment and the recovery process, mechanisms of behavior change, and reducing stigma and discrimination among individuals suffering from addiction.
Emily Hennessy, Ph.D.
Dr. Hennessy is Associate Director of the Recovery Research Institute; Director of Biostatistics at the Recovery Research Institute; and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hennessy was a Fulbright Scholar to Norway where she completed an M.Phil. in Health Promotion and focused on adolescent well-being. She completed her Ph.D. in Community Research and Action at Vanderbilt University and her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Connecticut in the Systematic Health Action Research Program (SHARP) Lab.
Dr. Hennessy’s research examines factors associated with health behavior change among adolescents. Her primary area of research, adolescent substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery, is funded by a career development award (K01) from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. This study examines social network and recovery capital mechanisms of the recovery process in adolescents using social identity mapping. A secondary area of her research is in conducting evidence syntheses and in improving methods for evidence synthesis. She serves as Associate Methods Editor for the International Coordinating Group of the Campbell Collaboration and is on the editorial board of Psychological Bulletin.
Partners
Aspire Advocates for Behavioral Health is proud to partner with St. Louis County Library and St. Louis
County Children’s Service Fund on the Youth Substance Use Disorder Summit. Together, we’re inspiring
hope and strengthening recovery for youth and families across our region.
About This Event
An unprecedented community gathering — fully underwritten as a gift to our region — hosted by Aspire Advocates and St. Louis County Library. Featuring Harvard University’s Dr. John Kelly alongside young people with lived experience of recovery, this rare opportunity (valued at $100+) centers on hope, healing, and what truly helps young people thrive.
Complimentary registration | Limited seating | Please register by April 6.
Join national experts, youth, and community leaders for an evening of learning, collaboration, and hope—exploring what truly sustains long-term recovery in young people. Featuring Dr. John Kelly of Harvard University’s Youth Recovery Research Program (https://youthrecoveryanswers.org) world-renowned experts on youth Substance Use Disorder and recovery.
This FREE Community Event for youth, families, schools and community members includes:
- Evening Keynote: The Science of Hope
- Youth Stories of Recovery – Real voices of strength and hope
- Recovery Resource Fair – Connect with local youth treatment and support programs
- Complimentary Food and Beverages will be Served
Our goal for There is Hope is simple yet urgent: to ensure every young person in St. Louis has access to the right care, at the right time, with the right supports for lasting recovery.
Who Should Attend?
Parents and Care Givers - Moms, Dads, Foster Parents, Guardians, Grandparents, Aunties and Uncles
Young People - Anyone between the ages of 11 and 26
Community - Faith Leaders, Youth Mentors, Coaches and Community Volunteers
Do you work professionally in behavioral health, schools, juvenile justice, foster care or community health? Click HERE to visit our registration for professionals page with full-day learning opportunities.
Event Schedule
Meet The Speakers
John F. Kelly, Ph.D., A.B.P.P.
Dr. Kelly is the Elizabeth R. Spallin Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School – the first endowed professor in addiction medicine at Harvard. He is also the Founder and Director of the Recovery Research Institute at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the National Center on Youth Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery at MGH. He also serves as the Chief of the Division of Addiction Treatment and Prevention across the Mass General Brigham (MGB) Academic Medical Centers (AMC) Department of Psychiatry (AMC Psychiatry).
Dr. Kelly is a former President of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Society of Addiction Psychology, a founding member and inaugural President of the American Board of Addiction Psychology, a Fellow of the APA, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has served as a consultant to U.S. federal agencies and non-federal institutions, as well as foreign governments, the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
Dr. Kelly has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, chapters, and books in the field of addiction medicine, and was an author on the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health. He has won numerous state, national, and international lifetime achievements and distinguished scientist awards for his work.
His clinical and research endeavors have focused on addiction treatment and the recovery process, mechanisms of behavior change, and reducing stigma and discrimination among individuals suffering from addiction.
Emily Hennessy, Ph.D.
Dr. Hennessy is Associate Director of the Recovery Research Institute; Director of Biostatistics at the Recovery Research Institute; and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hennessy was a Fulbright Scholar to Norway where she completed an M.Phil. in Health Promotion and focused on adolescent well-being. She completed her Ph.D. in Community Research and Action at Vanderbilt University and her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Connecticut in the Systematic Health Action Research Program (SHARP) Lab.
Dr. Hennessy’s research examines factors associated with health behavior change among adolescents. Her primary area of research, adolescent substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery, is funded by a career development award (K01) from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. This study examines social network and recovery capital mechanisms of the recovery process in adolescents using social identity mapping. A secondary area of her research is in conducting evidence syntheses and in improving methods for evidence synthesis. She serves as Associate Methods Editor for the International Coordinating Group of the Campbell Collaboration and is on the editorial board of Psychological Bulletin.
Partners
Aspire Advocates for Behavioral Health is proud to partner with St. Louis County Library and St. Louis
County Children’s Service Fund on the Youth Substance Use Disorder Summit. Together, we’re inspiring
hope and strengthening recovery for youth and families across our region.