March 30, 2016
COLUMBUS – The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Stress, Trauma and Resilience (STAR) Program will hold its annual “Faces of Resilience” dinner at 5:30 p.m. on April 7 in the George Bellows Ballroom at the Hilton Columbus Downtown, 401 N. High St.
Media representatives are asked to call the Media Relations office at 614-293-3737 to make arrangements to cover this event or schedule interviews with the keynote speakers before the event.
The featured guest speaker is Karyn Freedman, associate professor in the department of philosophy at the University of Guelph and author of One Hour in Paris: A True Story of Rape and Recovery. The memoir follows Freedman back to Paris in 1990 when she was 22 and her life was forever changed by a brutal rape. Freedman will share her harrowing yet inspirational journey through suffering and recovery.
At the dinner, the STAR Program will honor Peter E. Geier and Grayce Sills as the 2016 STAR Award winners. This award annually recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the STAR Program and to the trauma and mental health fields. Geier served as the chief operating officer of Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center from 2001 to 2016 and as OSU Health System's chief executive officer from 2003 to 2016. Sills is a nationally acclaimed scholar in the field of psychiatric nursing and has served on a number of local and state committees to improve services for the mentally ill.
Francie B. Henry, executive vice president and leader of the Investment Advisors at Fifth Third Bank, and Delaney A. Burgdoerfer are serving as the event's honorary chairs. Donation and sponsorship opportunities are available. Stellar STAR Sponsors who have donated $25,000 or more include Brooke Bodney; Delaney and Stuart Burgdoerfer; Kontogiannis Companies; Courtney and Keith McWalter; Dr. Lee Shackelford and LBrands Foundation. Proceeds from the event will benefit the STAR Program to help individuals suffering from overwhelming trauma and mental health challenges.
The STAR Program, an initiative of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, OSU Harding Behavioral Health and Ohio State’s Neurological Institute, improves lives by developing and delivering trauma-informed clinical services and educational programs to help those suffering the ravages of trauma and related mental illness. Centered on the Medical Center’s values of compassion and empathy, the program also contributes new knowledge on stress and resilience gained through research.
# # #