On Sunday, November 8, Cure Addiction Now will bring leading addiction researchers to Beverly Hills for a Forum & Webinar on substance use disorder and mental health research, giving families, clinicians and the public a rare chance to hear directly from the scientists shaping the next generation of treatment and support.
The forum takes place on Sunday, November 8, 2026, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. PT at the Starlight Rooftop Ballroom at the Cameo Beverly Hills, 1224 Beverwil Drive in Los Angeles. It will be held both in person and virtually, and registration is required through Cure Addiction Now’s official event page.
What the forum covers
The afternoon is devoted to substance use disorder and mental health research, two areas that are closely connected in the lives of many people and families. The forum will place that research in a public setting, where it can be explained in plain language, discussed from different perspectives, and considered in light of the questions people bring with them when addiction touches their own lives.
For many families, research can feel distant from daily life. Findings are published in journals, discussed at conferences, and described in language that is not always easy to follow. A forum of this kind is intended to close that distance, bringing researchers into direct conversation with the community they ultimately hope to serve.
Who is speaking
Cure Addiction Now, known as CAN, is hosting the event. Nancy Davis, the organization’s co-founder and president, will be featured at the forum. Her presence connects the research on stage to the organization’s work and to the families and supporters who have followed its efforts to advance understanding of addiction and mental health.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University will take part, bringing the perspective of one of the country’s leading research universities to the Beverly Hills stage. Their participation underscores the forum’s emphasis on evidence and inquiry, and on work that is tested, reviewed, and refined before it reaches patients, families, and clinicians.
They will be joined by researchers from the University of Maryland and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Together, the three institutions represent different research traditions and areas of focus, and their presence side by side offers attendees a broader view than any single laboratory, department, or line of study could provide on its own.
Television journalist Lisa Breckenridge will moderate the forum. A skilled moderator can make a considerable difference at an event of this kind, keeping the conversation focused, drawing out clear explanations, and ensuring that the discussion remains accessible to people who do not work in research or medicine every day.
Why this research matters for families
That accessibility matters. Substance use disorder affects more than the person living with it. It shapes family routines, relationships, finances, and plans for the future, and it often leaves loved ones searching for reliable information at a time when they are already under strain. Mental health challenges can add another layer of complexity, making clear guidance and honest conversation especially valuable.
Families often want to know what research is learning, what questions scientists are still trying to answer, and how new understanding might change the support available in the years ahead. They want language they can use, ideas they can discuss with a clinician, and a clearer sense of what to hope for without being given promises that research cannot yet keep.
The forum does not offer a single answer to those questions, and it should not be mistaken for medical advice. What it can offer is context: a chance to hear how researchers think about addiction and mental health, how they test their ideas, and why progress in these fields often comes step by step, through careful study rather than sudden breakthroughs.
That kind of understanding can help families become more confident participants in care. When people understand the thinking behind a treatment approach or a research direction, they are better placed to ask useful questions, to weigh options with professionals, and to support a loved one through a process that is rarely simple or linear.
Holding the event in Beverly Hills, in a setting designed for conversation, also reflects a broader point: addiction and mental health are public concerns, not private embarrassments. Bringing the discussion into the open, with researchers, a journalist moderator, and an audience in the room and online, helps to replace silence and stigma with information and shared attention.
How to attend
Those who wish to attend in person can join the audience at the Starlight Rooftop Ballroom at the Cameo Beverly Hills, 1224 Beverwil Drive in Los Angeles, on Sunday, November 8, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. PT. Because the forum is also offered as a webinar, people who cannot travel to Beverly Hills can take part virtually, joining the same discussion from home or elsewhere.
Registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance, and it is handled through Cure Addiction Now’s official event page. Anyone planning to attend should register in advance to secure a place and to receive the information needed to attend in person or to join the webinar.
For families, clinicians, and anyone who wants to understand where addiction and mental health research is heading, the forum offers two hours with the people doing that work. On November 8, that work comes to Beverly Hills, in person and online, for a conversation that begins with research and ends, for many in the audience, much closer to home.
