Melissa Etheridge to Accept 2026 Hope Award for Mental Health Advocacy

The Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) has announced that Grammy and Academy Award winner Melissa Etheridge will be honored with the 2026 Hope Award for Mental Health Advocacy at its 20th Annual HOPE Luncheon Seminar on November 10th from 11:30am-2pm at The Plaza Hotel in NYC.

Marking HDRF's 20th anniversary, this year's program, '20 Years of Research: Emerging New Treatments,' spotlights major advances in depression research and what's next for treatment. Chuck Scarborough will serve as Master of Ceremonies, with leading neuroscientist Dr. Husseini Manji outlining the latest studies in depression that have led to new and more effective treatments.

Etheridge will be recognized for her advocacy and her work through The Etheridge Foundation, which she launched after the passing of her son due to an opioid overdose. The foundation supports research into new plant medicine and psychedelic treatments for opioid use disorder.

Other honorees will include Definium Therapeutics, who is forging a new era in psychiatry by harnessing the potential of psychedelic medicine, and the HDRF Clinical Trial/Drug Discovery Program Founders Group.

Among HDRF's research discoveries is the identification of 20 gene targets out of 20,000 that can potentially lead to novel treatments. These have been validated in both animal models and human brain tissue. Since its founding, the Foundation has provided more than $90 million through over 200 grants for breakthrough depression research.

The seminar marks the foundation's 20th anniversary and will be led by Master of Ceremonies Chuck Scarborough. In recognition of this milestone, the program will focus on 20 Years of Research: Emerging New Treatments, bringing together top scientists and psychiatrists to address the latest advances in depression research and treatments. For two decades, HDRF has been at the leading edge of brain research in order to advance the understanding and treatment of depression. In addition, the Foundation has elevated the national conversation around mental health through educational initiatives and community outreach.

This year's expert medical speaker will be Husseini Manji, MD, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford University, adjunct professor at Yale University, and co-chair of the UK Government Mental Health Mission. Previously, he served as Global Head, Science for Minds at Johnson & Johnson and Global Therapeutic Head for Neuroscience at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

Before joining Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Manji was Chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Pathophysiology at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and director of the NIH Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, the largest program of its kind in the world. Manji's research focuses on disease and treatment-induced changes in synaptic and neural plasticity in neuropsychiatric disorders.

In 2023, the National Academy of Medicine honored Manji, Krystal, and Charney with the Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health. A member of the National Academy of Medicine, he has also received the NIMH Director's Career Award for Significant Scientific Achievement and the NARSAD Mood Disorders Prize. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Harvard University/McLean Hospital and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Stanley Center at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and is a member of the World Dementia Council. He will outline the latest studies in depression that have led to new and more effective treatments.

Melissa Etheridge will accept the 2026 Hope Award for Mental Health Advocacy. A two-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and Academy Award winner, Etheridge has been a celebrated voice in American rock since the late 1980s, known for her hits including 'I'm the Only One' and 'Come to My Window.' Earlier in her recording career, Etheridge acknowledged her sexual orientation when it was considered less than prudent to do so. In 2004, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, a health battle that, with her typical tenacity, she won. Despite losing her hair from chemotherapy, Etheridge appeared on the 2005 Grammy telecast to sing 'Piece of My Heart' in tribute to Janis Joplin, giving hope to many women afflicted with the disease.

In June 2020, Etheridge launched The Etheridge Foundation to support groundbreaking scientific research into effective new treatments for opioid use disorder. The Foundation works toward advancing treatment approaches that address the root causes of opioid abuse and make available better, more effective solutions for people to truly heal their opioid use disorder.

She has continued to bring her personal experiences and advocacy into her music and storytelling, including her one-woman show, My Window – A Journey Through Life, and the 2024 docuseries Melissa Etheridge: I'm Not Broken. In March 2026, Etheridge released RISE, her first studio album in five years.

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

HDRF Founder and Chair Audrey Gruss said: 'Twenty years ago, I founded HDRF with a mission to deepen the public's understanding of depression and spur the most innovative research to find better treatments for the millions affected by this illness. When I see how far the research has come over the past two decades, it gives me tremendous hope. I am deeply grateful to the scientists and supporters who have been part of this journey, and as we look to the next 20 years, we remain more determined than ever to accelerate this research and save lives.'

The program will also feature updates on the latest discoveries by HDRF's acclaimed Depression Task Force, an international consortium of top neuroscientists from different universities who are compiling data and expertise to accelerate research. The Task Force was convened in 2010 by HDRF Founding Chair Audrey Gruss; today it is conducting the most advanced depression research in the country.

Definium Therapeutics will accept the 2026 Corporate Visionary Award. Definium is revisiting psychedelics through a modern lens, incorporating advances in neuroscience and clinical research with scientific and regulatory rigor to generate high-quality, evidence-based data to better understand safety, efficacy, and mechanisms of action.

HDRF Clinical Trial/Drug Discovery Program Founders Group will accept the 2026 Hope Community Award for their dedication to increasing knowledge of the biology of depression so that the illness can be treated more effectively. These donors include Deborah and Steven Barnes, Brent R. Nicklas Foundation/Richard Roeder, D3, Jamee and Peter Gregory, Pauline Pitt and Barbara & Randall Smith.

This year's Event Co-Chairs include Marchesa Barel di Sant'Albano, Holly Bartlett, Christina & Brian Flaherty, Susan Gutfreund, Maru Hagerty, Kim M. Heirston, Tania Higgins, The Josephberg Family, Eleanora Kennedy, Kristen Maltese Krusen, Kitty & Bill McKnight, Thomas C. Quick, Barbara & Randall Smith, Scott Snyder, Barbera Hale Thornhill and Sarah Wetenhall.

Each year, the luncheon is attended by over 350 top New York philanthropists, asset managers, business and media professionals, socialites and celebrities who gather to raise awareness about depression and its related mood disorders and to raise funds for continued research.

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

About Hope for Depression Research Foundation

HDRF was founded in 2006 by philanthropist Audrey Gruss in memory of her mother Hope, who struggled with clinical depression. The mission of the HDRF is to spur the most innovative brain research into the origins, medical diagnosis, new treatments, and prevention of depression and its related mood disorders – bipolar disorder, postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, and suicide. The World Health Organization has declared depression as the leading cause of disability worldwide, and yet conventional medications today are outdated and do not fully work for 50% of patients. HDRF is working to improve the mental health landscape for every American. The Foundation has provided more than $90 million through over 200 grants for breakthrough depression research that promises to transform the way depression is viewed, diagnosed, treated and prevented. Currently, HDRF has a potential new class of medication in pilot clinical trials at Mount Sinai Medical Center, and Stanford University. Several other pilot clinical trials of novel treatments are in the pipeline as a result of the drug discovery research of its Depression Task Force, an acclaimed collaboration of top brain scientists from around the world.