Face the Fight Systemic Solutions

Dr. Posner’s work has been noted in a keynote speech at the White House and in Congressional hearings, and she gave the lead presentation in a U.S. Senate forum on school safety after Parkland. Jim Shelton, former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education under President Obama, says her work “has the potential to keep the 64 million children in our schools safe physically and mentally by helping prevent school violence.” Stand with Parkland parents said, “We found another big piece of the school shooting puzzle – an antibiotic for suicide. This … could fundamentally change the game for early identification and intervention.” Leadership of Israel’s national suicide prevention program articulated her work’s impact: “It’s not only saving millions of lives but in Israel it is literally changing the way we live our lives.”

Through her advocacy she has helped change local, national, and international policy, which in turn has contributed to reductions in suicide across all sectors of society. She has worked closely with CDC, DOE, FDA, DOD, VA, DHS, National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, and others. The Columbia Protocol is policy across all 50 states, national agencies, and most countries. The FDA has characterized her work as “setting a standard in the field” and a lead article in The New York Times called it “one of the most profound changes of the past sixteen years to regulations.” Dr. Posner has recently been appointed Chair of the Governor’s Veterans’ Suicide Prevention Task Force in New York Dr. Posner gave the invited presentation on tackling depression and suicide at the first European Union high level conference on mental health and was recognized as the Most Distinguished Alumna of her graduate school at Yeshiva University over past 50 years, since its inception. Her scholarly work has been included in the compendium of the most important research in the history of the study of suicide and was recognized as one of top 20 most influential scientists from Columbia University across all areas of medicine over the past 10 years.

Leading the STRONG STAR Training Initiative, Dr. Dondanville has trained over 3000 clinicians globally, reaching 10,000 individuals with evidence-based treatments for PTSD, suicide, and related areas. Additionally, she serves as Chief Scientific Advisor for Face the Fight, guiding the initiative to reduce veteran suicide rates. With expertise in PTSD treatments and a commitment to research-driven solutions, she strives to improve therapy access and effectiveness for all. Beyond her leadership roles, Dr. Dondanville mentors junior faculty and postdoctoral fellows, sharing her knowledge and experience to foster the next generation of mental health professionals. She has contributed significantly to the field with over 100 scientific papers and over 150 presentations at research conferences, emphasizing her dedication to advancing mental health care through research, training, and advocacy.