Vincent J. Felitti, MD, Co-Principal Investigator of the Landmark ACEs Study, Receives Prestigious STAR NeuroLeadership Award

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Carey Sipp Carey Sipp 4/5/2612:00 PM

Felitti and Co-Principal Investigator Robert F. Anda, MD, to Be Celebrated at May 22 Virtual Global Summit Marking Nearly 30 Years of Adverse Childhood Experiences Science

Nearly three decades after publishing one of the most consequential public health studies in American history, Vincent J. Felitti, MD, FACP, has been recognized with the 2026 STAR NeuroLeadership Award, presented by the STAR Network Foundation — and will be honored at the same virtual gathering as his co-principal investigator, Robert F. Anda, MD, MS, who will receive the same award at the third annual Scars to STARs Day Summit: The ACEs Next 30 Years Global Leadership Gathering, taking place on May 22, 2026, during Mental Health Awareness Month.

Scars to STARs Day Summit — STARS for Survivors of Toxic and Abusive Relationships — is among the most significant annual gatherings in the global trauma recovery and prevention movement. Hosted by the STAR Network Foundation, the 2026 summit brings together scientists, clinicians, survivors, policymakers, practitioners, educators, and community leaders from across the United States and around the world — all participating virtually — to explore how science, lived experience, and systems innovation can break cycles of trauma and protect the next generation. Dr. Felitti will be featured in an opening film honoring the legacy of the ACEs Study and the science that has helped the world better understand the impact of childhood adversity.

The event is a free, online summit. Early registration is encouraged and is available at this link.

Dr. Felitti received the  award in San Diego, California on February 9, 2026. Dr. Anda, former Senior Scientist at the CDC, will receive the STAR NeuroLeadership Award — [to be confirmed: at the May 22 summit or separately] — presented virtually by The Honorable Patrick J. Kennedy, Founder of The Kennedy Forum and recipient of the 2025 STAR NeuroLeadership Award.

A Study That Changed Everything — For Those Who Know About It

The 1998 ACEs Study — published jointly by Kaiser Permanente and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — revealed a striking and dose-dependent relationship between adverse childhood experiences, including abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, and lifelong physical and mental health outcomes. The higher a person’s ACE score, the greater their risk of heart disease, cancer, addiction, mental illness, domestic violence, poverty, and premature death.

The study has since generated thousands of follow-on studies worldwide and fundamentally reshaped how scientists, clinicians, and an emerging community of practitioners understand the root causes of society’s most seemingly intractable challenges. And yet, despite being published by two of the nation’s most trusted health institutions, it remains largely unknown outside the fields of public health, medicine, and social services. The science that could help explain — and prevent — generation after generation of child abuse, neglect, addiction, poverty, mental illness, and violence has not yet reached the critical mass of leaders needed to act on it.

The  landmark 2019 study onPositive Childhood Experiences added a powerful and hopeful dimension to the science — finding that positive childhood and community experiences have a meaningful buffering effect against the impact of ACEs, and that seven specific positive childhood experiences are associated with a protective effect against adult mental illness. It was in recognition of this growing body of science that the network formerly known as ACEs Connection renamed itself PACEs Connection — with the “P” standing for positive — reflecting a commitment not only to understanding and healing adversity, but to actively cultivating the experiences that build resilience and prevent harm.

“The ACEs study is one of the most important pieces of public health research ever published,” said Carey Sipp, Editor-at-Large and Director of Upstream Strategies at PACEs Connection, the global network that has served for more than a decade as the connective tissue of the ACEs science movement to prevent and heal trauma, foster individual, family, and community resilience. “Dr. Felitti and Dr. Anda gave the world a roadmap. The work of all of us is to make sure a significant number of people use it — and that it is used to overhaul the very systems that perpetuate trauma.”

“PACEs Connection has been honored to serve as a gathering place, a library, and a connector for this movement,” said Dana Brown, Interim Executive Director of PACEs Connection. “Honoring Dr. Felitti and Dr. Anda at this summit is a recognition not just of their science, but of the millions of survivors whose lives that science has helped explain — and whose healing it continues to inform.”

“The STAR Network Foundation is proud to honor the scientists whose work gave the world a new lens through which to understand human suffering — and human resilience,” said Jamie Huysman, PsyD, LCSW, Founder and Executive Director of the STAR Network Foundation. “Bringing together this coalition of organizations to advance the next 30 years of ACEs science is exactly the kind of collective action this moment demands.”

About the STAR NeuroLeadership Award

The STAR SuperNova NeuroLeadership award is given for “neuroLeadership in trauma-informed care and recovery’.  Previous recipient: Patrick J. Kennedy (2025).

Scars to STARs  – A Landmark Gathering for the Next 30 Years

The May 22 virtual summit will feature a distinguished faculty of leaders working at the intersections of trauma science, recovery, prevention, and systems change, including:

  • Jamie Huysman, PsyD, LCSW, Founder and Executive Director, STAR Network Foundation
  • Diana H. Fishbein, PhD, Founder and Co-Director, National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives
  • George Rapier III, MD, Chairman and CEO, WellMed Medical Management
  • Jesse Kohler, former Executive Director, Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice and Founder, The Change Campaign
  • Michael J. Menard, author of Greater Than Gravity: How Childhood Trauma Is Pulling Down Humanity and Founder, United Against Childhood Trauma
  • Glenn R. Schiraldi, PhD, Founder, Resilience Training International [confirm full title]
  • Thomas G. Bognanno, Principal, Alliance Practice LLC

At the close of the summit, leaders of PACEs Connection will announce its revitalization as a global community platform, supported by a coalition of partner organizations committed to advancing the next 30 years of ACEs science.

Organizations in early conversations include:

About PACEs Connection

PACEs Connection — PACEs stands for positive and adverse childhood experiences — is a 63,000+ member global network advancing the science of positive and adverse childhood experiences to prevent and heal trauma, build resilience, and support flourishing communities worldwide.

About the STAR Network Foundation

The STAR Network Foundation is a global organization dedicated to advancing trauma recovery, prevention, and survivor leadership. The annual Scars to STARs Day Summit is its flagship convening, bringing together survivors and leaders from across the world to accelerate trauma-informed systems change.

For more information contact: Carey Sipp Editor-at-Large & Director of Upstream Strategies, PACEs Connection carey.pacescommunities@gmail.com | or Dana Brown, Interim Executive Director of PACEs Connection at dana.pacescommunities@gmail.com dana.pacescommunities@gmail.com

Carey Smith Sipp

carey.pacescommunites@gmail.com

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