Boys Town Recognized, Shares Expertise at Global Mental Health Summit

Boys Town was recognized as a national leader in youth mental health at the inaugural Global Mental Health Task Force World Mental Health Week Leadership Summit.

Held Oct. 8 at the United Nations Delegates Dining Room in New York City, the event also featured participation by Boys Town leaders who shared the organization’s experience advancing mental health care access, research and innovation.

One of the most significant global gatherings of mental health leaders, researchers, policymakers and innovators working to shape the future of mental health, the summit reflected a shared conviction that meaningful progress requires collaboration across disciplines, industries and lived experiences.

Boys Town Named Agent of Change

During the summit, the Global Partnership Forum presented the Agent of Change Award to Boys Town with these words:

“Boys Town is a national leader in youth mental health and well-being, helping children and families heal, build resilience and thrive. Its whole-child approach recognizes that meaningful care cannot happen behind clinic doors alone. It must reach into homes, schools and communities — where children actually live.”

Boys Town Chief Executive Officer Rod Kempkes accepted the award on behalf of everyone at Boys Town and called it “a recognition of the measurable impact, innovation and mission-driven partnerships that define the work you do every single day.”

Connected, Accessible and Centered Care

Kempkes’ luncheon keynote address, titled The Future of Mental Health Is Connected, highlighted the importance of building systems of care around the needs of children and families.

He opened with a story about a teenager he called Sarah, who found her way through substance abuse, trafficking and suicidal crisis to Boys Town, and is now in college with her family restored.

“I told that story because the future of mental health cannot be built from the conference room alone,” Kempkes said. “It has to be built around the Sarahs — the children and families who need care that is connected, accessible, and centered on their lives.”

The Right Support at the Right Time

Jason Bruce, M.D., Boys Town Chief Operating Officer, participated in the panel discussion titled Every Age, Every Stage: Care, Access and the Workforce.

Dr. Bruce shared how he’s seen firsthand what happens when families don’t have access to the right support at the right time. “The barriers are real — for families trying to find care and for the workforce trying to provide it,” he said.

“The conversation at the forum pushed us to think harder about how we identify children’s needs earlier, and how we build the trusted connections across schools, clinical care and communities that make a real difference.”

Turning Research into Real-World Solutions

Ryan McCreery, Ph.D., Boys Town Vice President of Research, joined a panel discussion on Innovation in Mental Health: From Science to Everyday Access.

Dr. McCreery shared how Boys Town National Research Hospital is translating research and emerging technology into tools that are being used in classrooms, clinics and communities. He also shared the example of Boys Town’s Reality Coach, the AI-supported role-play tool developed to help educators practice difficult conversations with students.

“Science matters most when it reaches people who need it,” Dr. McCreery said. “Boys Town’s research is built on that belief.”

A Global Conversation on Mental Health

In addition to Boys Town’s participation, summit sessions included A Different Kind of Courage: A Veteran’s Path to Healing from Trauma; A New Era in Mental Health: The Next Frontier of Treatment; Hollywood, Heroes & the Human Mind; and From Capitol Hill to the Global Unfinished Business: Mental Health, Addiction and the Leadership We Need, among others.

Presenters and participants included representatives from The Kennedy Forum, Mount Sinai, Corvus Health, American Psychiatric Association Foundation and other organizations.

The Global Mental Health Task Force, which convened the event, is a collaborative effort of experts and leaders focused on increasing access to mental health resources in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3: “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.”