This summer Dr. Dan Morrison and Dr. Chris Ongaro headed south to share ������Ƶ expertise beyond New York City.  Chris was an invited speaker helping to launch the first in New Orleans. The conference focused on “Breaking the Silence and Silos Around Youth Mental Health,” bringing together leaders across sectors to drive real collaboration.

In addition to the conference’s important focus, its origin is also an exciting one. Chris previously taught the conference’s founder, Nichelle Cook, as a graduate student in his work at As part of Chris’s course, there were many weeks of discussion about the problems and potential of gifted education, as well as complex learning needs related to such things as anxiety, depression, and ADHD. Through it all, the conference idea was encouraged and evolved. Now, Chris was thrilled to see it launch.

In his session at the conference, Chris shared school-based strategies for supporting complex learners and building support with families and across stakeholders in education, clinical services, and community partners. Together, he and Dan advanced this thinking across conference workshops.  It’s the kind of cross-disciplinary work that ������Ƶ is known for and that the conference was designed to elevate.

Key takeaways aligned with ������Ƶ program and practices:

• Build integrated structures that support faculty and clinical staff collaboration. This narrows the cracks through which students too often fall through.

• Pair vigorous, college-prep academics with evidence-informed therapeutic supports in ways that support both intense moments and future skill development.

• Invest in networks of support—educators, psychologists, public health, policy, and medicine—to realize impact beyond what any lone stakeholder could achieve.

Huge thanks to the NeurodivURGENT organizers and fellow speakers, and congrats to Dr. Ongaro for being featured among .  We’re proud to have had him contribute to the inaugural NeurodivURGENT Conference’s success!