Healing for All: STAR Network Celebrates 30 Years of ACEs Science May 22

By PR Newswire May 18, 2026

Scars to STARs Summit 2026 convenes May 22 — a once-in-a-generation gathering honoring 30 years of ACEs science, featuring former U.S. Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, and uniting 60+ countries around one urgent truth: healing is a human right.

MIAMI, May 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Five days from now, tens of thousands of people in more than 60 countries will gather — virtually, freely, and without barriers — for the Scars to STARs Summit 2026, hosted by STAR Network Foundation on STARs Day, Friday, May 22, 2026. If you haven’t registered yet, there is still time — and every reason to.

What You Will Experience on May 22

The Scars to STARs Summit 2026 is built for anyone who has ever felt that healing was out of reach — too expensive, too distant, too complicated. This year’s summit brings together the science, the stories, and the solutions in one free, accessible, virtual space.

Hear from Patrick J. Kennedy — former U.S. Congressman and one of America’s most powerful voices on mental health — as he delivers a message of resilience, hope, and transformation drawn from the front lines of the recovery movement.
Witness a historic tribute — Dr. Vincent J. Felitti and Dr. Robert F. Anda, the scientists whose landmark 1998 ACEs study changed how the world understands childhood trauma, will be honored with the 2026 STAR NeuroLeadership Award. Thirty years later, their work is more urgent than ever.
Be part of a landmark announcement — the formal integration of PACEs Connection — a 69,000+ member global network spanning 500 chapters — into the STAR Network ecosphere will be revealed live, signaling the beginning of a new era in coordinated, peer-led, evidence-based healing.
Connect with a global community — survivors, families, clinicians, advocates, and policymakers from more than 60 countries will come together in a shared space built on compassion, dignity, and lived experience.

► REGISTER NOW — FREE: starnetwork.org/scars-to-stars-2026/attend/

Why This Moment — and This Summit — Cannot Wait

The numbers behind this summit are staggering. Fewer than 1 in 4 adults with a substance use disorder receive treatment (SAMHSA, 2023). The WHO projects mental health conditions will cost the global economy more than $6 trillion annually by 2030. The ACEs study linked childhood trauma to 9 of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States.

The science has been clear for thirty years. What has been missing is access — the infrastructure to translate evidence into healing that reaches actual people, in actual communities, without cost as a barrier.

“Science has been clear for thirty years. What’s been missing is access. Mental health should not be a privilege. It should be a right. Stars Day 2026 is about turning three decades of evidence into infrastructure that actually reaches the people who need it.”

— Dr. Jamie Huysman, PsyD, LCSW, Founder and Executive Director, STAR Network Foundation

Free. Global. For Everyone. No Exceptions.

Scars to STARs Summit 2026 costs nothing to attend. There are no tiers, no premium sessions, no paywalls. STAR Network Foundation’s mission has always been that recovery should never be a luxury — and STARs Day is the fullest expression of that commitment.

Whether you are a survivor on your own healing journey, a clinician seeking new frameworks, an HR professional looking to better support your team, or an advocate ready to amplify the cause — this summit was built for you.

Registration takes minutes. The impact lasts far longer.

► REGISTER NOW — FREE: starnetwork.org/scars-to-stars-2026/attend/

About STAR Network:

STAR Network Foundation is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to building accessible, community-driven pathways to healing for Survivors of Toxic Abusive Relationships (STARs). Through TAR Anon® — a free, peer-led, virtual fellowship meeting five days a week across time zones — and the annual Scars to STARs Day Summit, the Foundation works to make trauma-informed recovery available to anyone, anywhere, at no cost.

Learn more at starnetwork.org

Dr. Jamie Huysman | Founder & Executive Director | STAR Network Foundation

[email protected]

305-303-4000

https://starnetwork.org