By: Deidra Evette

19th Annual Hope for Depression Research Foundation Lunch Seminar to Focus on “Stress and the Brain: The Link between Stress and Depression.”

The Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF), a prominent non-profit focused on advancing depression research, has announced that award-winning singer and actor Audra McDonald will be the honoree for the 19th Annual HOPE luncheon seminar, which will take place at The Plaza Hotel on November 12.

The seminar, hosted by Master of Ceremonies Chuck Scarborough, will center on “Stress and the Brain: The Link between Stress and Depression,” featuring leading scientists and psychiatrists who will discuss evidence-based approaches to supporting brain health and well-being. This topic is particularly relevant and timely. Since the pandemic, many have experienced a heightened sense of unpredictability, which seems to have become a persistent aspect of modern life. The stress associated with these circumstances appears to be contributing to feelings of malaise, and research suggests that stress and depression are closely connected. What can we do to manage feelings of overwhelm and helplessness? What does the latest science tell us about our nervous systems and coping with uncertainty? This seminar aims to present insights that could offer support and hope to attendees and their loved ones.

The featured medical speaker is Dr. James Murrough, Director of the Depression and Anxiety Center for Discovery and Treatment at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Murrough is widely recognized for his research in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He has made significant contributions to the fields of biological psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, including work advancing potential treatments for resistant depression (TRD) and PTSD. He will outline, in accessible terms, how stress may influence pathways in the brain that are associated with depression and what strategies might help to reverse this process.

HDRF Depression Task Force member Dr. Huda Akil will provide a research update from the foundation’s consortium of leading brain scientists. She is Professor of Neurosciences in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School. Akil and her colleagues are well-known for discovering the role of endorphins in stress and recovery. Her latest research has identified genes that could potentially regulate how we react to and tolerate stress, a key trigger of depression.

Audra McDonald will be presented with the 2025 Hope Award for Mental Health Advocacy. A Juilliard-trained soprano, McDonald has earned a record-breaking six Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Emmy. She will be recognized for her openness in discussing her personal experience with depression while pursuing a demanding career.

In 2015, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama and was recognized as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. Her most recent solo album, Sing Happy, was recorded live with the New York Philharmonic for Decca Gold. McDonald is also a dedicated advocate for equal rights and the well-being of at-risk youth. She is the co-founder of Black Theatre United—a social advocacy organization that addresses systemic racism within the theater industry and beyond. She also serves on the Covenant House International Board of Directors, which oversees programs for young people experiencing homelessness in 34 cities across six countries in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.

Previous recipients of the Hope Award for Depression Advocacy include Mariska Hargitay, Dakota Johnson, Aly Raisman, Michael Phelps, LeAnn Rimes, Ashley Judd, Brooke Shields, Taraji P. Henson, Richard Dreyfuss, and Terry Bradshaw.

“For this year’s HOPE Luncheon, we are pleased to honor Audra McDonald, a dedicated mental health advocate who has openly shared her experience with depression,” said HDRF Founder and Chair Audrey Gruss. “She gives voice to those who may feel voiceless and devotes significant time and effort to working with at-risk youth.”

HDRF Executive Director Louisa Benton said, “The Luncheon is a day when we highlight our progress toward a new era of psychiatry, grounded in a deeper understanding of the brain as a complex neurochemical organ. The Luncheon serves as an inspiring event that raises awareness and vital funds for depression research.”

Elyce Arons will accept the 2025 Hope Community Award for her steadfast commitment to HDRF and their annual fundraising events over the past decade. Elyce Arons is the founder and CEO of Frances Valentine, a New York-based luxury apparel and accessories company. This year, Elyce published a memoir, We Might Just Make It After All, about her decades-long friendship and business partnership with Kate Spade, who tragically died by suicide in 2018.

This year’s Event Co-Chairs include Marchesa Barel di Sant’Albano, Christina & Brian Flaherty, Susan Gutfreund, Kim M. Heirston, Tania Higgins, Eleanora Kennedy, Kristen Maltese Krusen, Susan R. McCaw, Kitty & Bill McKnight, Peter S. Paine III, Barbara & Randall Smith, and Scott Snyder.

This year’s Hope Luncheon Seminar will showcase the foundation’s ongoing leadership in depression research over the past 19 years. Each year, the luncheon brings together more than 350 prominent New York philanthropists, asset managers, business and media professionals, socialites, and celebrities who unite to raise awareness about depression and its related mood disorders, as well as to generate support for continued research.

To purchase tables and tickets for the HOPE luncheon, please visit www.HopeForDepression.org/events.

ABOUT HOPE FOR DEPRESSION RESEARCH FOUNDATION (HDRF)

HDRF was founded in 2006 by philanthropist Audrey Gruss in memory of her mother Hope, who struggled with clinical depression. The mission of HDRF is to support innovative brain research into the origins, medical diagnosis, new treatments, and prevention of depression and its related mood disorders—such as bipolar disorder, postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, and suicide. The World Health Organization has identified depression as the leading cause of disability worldwide, and while conventional medications are available, they do not fully meet the needs of approximately 50% of patients. HDRF is working to improve the mental health landscape for all Americans. The Foundation has provided over $80 million to support breakthrough depression research that aims to deepen the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of depression. In 2012, HDRF established the Depression Task Force, an international collaboration of leading neuroscientists from various universities, who are compiling data and expertise to help accelerate research. HDRF currently has two clinical trials underway for potential novel antidepressants at Mount Sinai Medical Center and the Max Planck Institute in Germany. Additional clinical trials for novel therapies are also being developed at Columbia University and Weill Cornell.