The 10th Annual Gray Matters at Columbia Spring Benefit Luncheon
On May 9, 2017 the 10th Annual Gray Matters at Columbia Spring Benefit Luncheon will be held at the Plaza Hotel at 11:00am. This year’s luncheon program will highlight precision psychiatry, the burgeoning field of tailoring care based on each person’s genetic makeup. The program will include keynote speaker Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D. D.Phil., Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene: An Intimate History, along with remarks from Jeffrey Lieberman, M.D., the Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical center.
Our Mission
To solve the mystery of such brain disorders as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, autism, addiction, and Alzheimer’s through scientific research on genetic and environmental causes
About Gray Matters at Columbia
Gray Matters at Columbia is a research fund within Columbia University Medical Center's Department of Psychiatry that provides support for outstanding scientists dedicated to searching for the causes and cures of brain disorders. The Spring Benefit Luncheon is the major annual fundraising event by Columbia Psychiatry to support research on brain disorders through the Chairman's initiatives for the department. Since its inception in 2007, it has raised funds to support chosen fellows who benefit from the extensive expertise of a peerless team of talented scientists that includes two Nobel laureates who serve as their teachers and mentors. It is organized and run by a dedicated volunteer committee and is a beacon of hope to all who struggle with brain disorders.
Photo left to right:René Hen, PhD, Jonathan Javitch, MD, PhD, Audrey Gruss, Joshua Gordan, MD, PhD, Jeffrey Lieberman, MD |
Each year, Gray Matters at Columbia honors an individual who has made significant contributions to promote brain research on mental illness. The theme of the 2016 luncheon was depression, and the honoree was Audrey Gruss, Founder and Chair of the Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF). Past honorees at the Spring Benefit Luncheon include Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Paula Zahn, Anne Ford, Jane Pauley, Dick Cavett, Gwyneth Paltrow and Andrew Solomon. |
Get Involved
Gray Matters at Columbia exists as a result of the kindness, compassion, and generosity of its donors.
We encourage donors to get involved and see the impact of their contributions. We invite you to visit and meet the scientists in person and hear directly from them about the current research projects and progress being made in treating brain disorders.
Learn about the process of scientific discovery. See PET, MRI, and CAT scans. Find out how and why brain imaging often gives scientists the answers they seek and what role DNA samples play. Discover how these leading edge scientists summarize the findings that lead to a better understanding of illness, treatment, and cures.
Find out how this research brings hope, eases the day-to-day coping ability of those who struggle with brain disorders, and gives freedom to some who might otherwise be a prisoner to their illness.
Memorialize a special someone lost to mental illness. A donation made in a loved one’s name often helps families transcend their loss through the knowledge that they are helping someone else.
Giving Is Easy
To make a contribution, please visit our giving page or contact:
- Shannon Harknett
Phone: 212-304-6670
Email: sh3571@columbia.edu