CMHIS is thrilled to launch Navigating the Now! This set of five thoughtfully planned, national learning events features dynamic speakers who bring timely, relevant mental health topics to life through the lens of implementation science. Each event will explore real-world pain points and current themes. Read below for more information about what’s happening in March!

Understanding and Assessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Community Mental Health

March 4-18, 2026 | 9-10 a.m. PT, 10-11 a.m. MT, 11 a.m.-noon CT, noon-1 p.m. ET

Join the East Coast Hub for a 3-part series that explores how emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, from rule-based chatbots to advanced large language models and multimodal systems, are reshaping the landscape of mental health care. It reviews the opportunities and limitations of AI tools as they move toward community and clinical settings. We will examine key issues, including safety, accuracy, hallucinations, regulatory considerations, and real-world performance, using current research findings and case examples. The series provides a practical framework for clinicians to appraise AI systems critically, understand their underlying mechanisms, and consider the risks/benefits of integrating them into care. Register here!

Speakers

John Torous, MD, MBI, Director, Digital Psychiatry Division, Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC)

John Torous, MD, MBI, is director of the digital psychiatry division in the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), a Harvard Medical School-affiliated teaching hospital, where he also serves as a staff psychiatrist and associate professor.  He is active in investigating the potential of mobile mental health and AI technologies for psychiatry.

Sherin Khan, LCSW, Vice President of Operations and Strategy, Thresholds

Sherin Khan, LCSW is Vice President of Operations and Strategy for Thresholds, Illinois’ oldest and largest provider of mental health services. She has 15 years of experience in the non-profit sector with a focus on serving those who have serious mental illness. She excels at workforce and organizational development, strategic planning, clinical consultation and supervision, and change implementation.

Stories That Connect Us: The Impact of Digital Storytelling in Mental Health

March 11, 2026 | 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. PT, noon-1:30 p.m. MT, 1-2:30 p.m. CT, 2-3:30 p.m. ET

Join the Southwestern Plains Hub for a session that explores the power of digital storytelling in mental health and why it has become such an effective tool. Participants will examine the art and science of storytelling across different mediums and goals – from building community awareness and reducing stigma to supporting workforce education or policy change. Through short films and case examples, we’ll look at creative mental health stories and the design choices, and outcomes behind them. The session invites participants to think creatively and expansively about how storytelling could show up in their own work, even in non-traditional or resource-limited ways. Register here!

Speaker: Amanda Kay Lipp

Filmmaker | Social Entrepreneur | Speaker

Lipp is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and national speaker who specializes in digital storytelling for mental health. She has created over 100 short films used across clinical training, stigma reduction research, and policy-influencing initiatives. Her work focuses on translating complex topics such as psychosis, mobile crisis response, and collective trauma. The aim is to leverage creativity and collaboration to responsibly depict human experiences in ways that are both impactful and engaging.