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The purpose of The Sean Costello
Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research
is to apply Sean's celebrity
and the love of Sean's fans and fellow
musicians to increase research
for treatment of Bipolar Disorder,
develop and support education
for early diagnosis and intervention,
and translate the human side
of bipolar disorder and its severity
to improve outcomes and resources,
especially for those without
insurance, targeting the musical
community.
- To support research for early intervention and diagnosis.
- To promote
research focused on the connection
between creativity and bipolar
disorder.
- To support research focusing on the connection between bipolar
disorder and social anxiety.
- To
lobby for health care policy
changes to facilitate better
treatment and prevention.
- To provide services for musicians who suffer
such emotional challenges, but
who often have no insurance and
who live in a world full of triggers.
- To provide resources for families.
Executive
Debbie Costello Smith, President
Glenn Smith, Vice President
Allison Dellamaggiora, Secretary/Treasurer
Budget and Finance
Chair -
Allison Dellamaggiora
Patti Beaman
Michael Rothschild
Glenn Smith
Public Relations/Fundraising
Co-Chairs - Melissa Bauer & Dar Lopez
Lauren Arno
Bridget Costello
Allison Dellamaggiora
Richard "Rosy" Rosenblatt
Donald Schellhaas
Kelli Stripling
Glenn
Smith
Lindsey Warren
Ellyn Webb
Research
Chair - Sheri L. Johnson, Ph.D.
Richard Bolton, Esq.
Debbie Costello Smith
Thilo Deckersbach, Ph.D.
Aileen Kenneson, Ph.D.
Julie Malbrancq
Greg Murray, Ph.D.
Andrew Nierenberg, MD
Amy Pollick, Ph.D.
Ihsan Salloum, MD, MPH
Jonathan Schooler, Ph.D.
Jonathan Smallwood, Ph.D.
Eric Youngstrom, Ph.D.
Development
Debbie Costello Smith
Sheri L. Johnson, Ph.D.
Aileen Kenneson, Ph.D.
Amy Pollick, Ph.D.
Affiliation: University of California, Berkeley
Expertise: Creativity and accomplishment
in Bipolar Disorder
Dr. Johnson received her B.A. from
Salem College in 1982 and her Ph.D.
from the University of Pittsburgh in
1992. She completed an internship and
postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University,
and she was a clinical assistant professor
at Brown from 1993–1995. From 1995
through 2008, she taught in the Department
of Psychology at the University of Miami. In 2008, she became a professor
at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1993, Johnson received
the Young Investigator Award from the National Alliance for Research
in Schizophrenia and Depression.
Dr. Johnson’s books include Psychological
Treatments of Bipolar Disorder (available
in paperback), Stress, Coping and Depression,
Emotion and Psychopathology, and Abnormal
Psychology. She has published more
than 100 articles and chapters.
She
is an associate editor for Applied and
Preventive Psychology and Cognition and
Emotion, and she serves on the editorial
board for Psychological Bulletin, Psychology
and Psychotherapy and International Journal
of Cognitive Therapy. She is a member
of the Executive Board for the Society
for Research in Psychopathology, and
she is a fellow in the Academy of Behavioral
Medicine Research.
Her work has been
supported by grants from the National
Alliance of Research on Schizophrenia
and Depression, the National Science
Foundation, the National Institute of Mental
Health,
and the National Cancer Institute.
Her research is focused on understanding
the psychological and environmental factors
that shape the course of mania and major
depression. Much of her work focuses
on a goal regulation model of mania.
She is using basic research findings
in this area to develop a new psychological
treatment that can be used as a supplement
to medication.
Affiliation: President, South Florida
DBSA
Expertise: Consumer attitudes, support
groups
Richard lives in Miami and is a successful trial lawyer and business
man. Richard is in his mid 50's.
He was diagnosed bi-polar 34 years ago.
When he was first diagnosed, scientific
knowledge pertaining to this disorder
was in its infancy. The only medication
was lithium. There was really no understanding
as to what caused the disorder and how
it affected the people who were afflicted
with it.
As science progressed new medications
were discovered and new therapeutic techniques
became available. Richard feels he is very, very lucky, as
he has been the recipient of the
scientific and therapeutic advances.
In
the past couple of years, Richard founded
and is currently, the president of the South Florida Depression Bi-polar Support Alliance. DBSA is a
national organization that provides support
groups and other resources for people suffering from bi-polar disorder and depression.
Richard
is thrilled to be a part of this foundation
honoring Sean's memory and working towards
developing treatment protocols that will
aid the artistic community in dealing
with mental health issues they face on a day to day basis.
Affiliation: Massachusetts General
Hospital/Harvard University
Expertise: Neuro-imaging,
occupational success in Bipolar
Disorder
Thilo Deckersbach, Ph.D. is an Assistant
Professor of Psychology at Harvard
Medical School. He serves as the Director of Cognitive Neuroscience
Research in the Bipolar Clinic and
Research Program and as the Director
of Research in the Division of Neurotherapeutics
at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Deckersbach received his
Ph.D. from the Philipps-University Marburg, Germany, and completed
his pre-doctoral clinical psychology internship at the Cognitive-Behavior
Science track at the Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical
School in 2000.
His work focuses on the development
of new cognitive and cognitive-behavioral
treatments for individuals with bipolar
disorder with an emphasis on interventions
that enhance functioning and well-being.
He also utilizes state of the art neuroimaging
techniques such as structural and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) as predictors of treatment
response to cognitive-behavioral treatments in bipolar disorder. Dr.
Deckersbach’s work has been funded by the National Alliance for Research
on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD), the Tourette Syndrome Association
(TSA), the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation (OCF) and by grants from
the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Affiliation: University of North Carolina, Chapel
Hill
Expertise: Positive moods
and creativity
Affiliation: University of California, Berkely
Expertise: Stigma and Bipolar Disorder
Affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles
Expertise: Family therapy of Bipolar
Disorder
Affiliation: Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
Expertise: Web-based therapy, risk
factors
Greg Murray is Associate Professor
and Director of Clinical Psychology
programs at Swinburne University of
Technology, Australia. He is a practicing
clinical psychologist, and is involved
nationally with the training and accreditation
of clinical psychologists. His major
research interest is the chronobiology
of mood, especially the relationship between sleep, circadian function
and positive mood states. Since taking out his PhD from University of
Melbourne in 2001, he has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers and
chapters, won individual awards for both teaching and research, and
been a chief investigator on grants totaling > $1,000k.
Recent
publications focus on the traits
underpinning bipolar disorder. He is
currently supervising ten Doctoral
students on projects related to bipolar
disorder and emotion regulation. The
majority of his research is collaborative
and multi-disciplinary. In Australia
he works with researchers investigating
psychosocial treatments (live and online)
for bipolar disorder. Internationally,
he is a founder member of the Canadian
CREST group investigating determinants
of well-being in people with bipolar
disorder. He collaborates with colleagues
at UC Berkeley, Harvard and University of Massachusetts on studies of
sleep, circadian rhythms and mood.
Greg has a parallel life as a drummer
and can be seen around Melbourne with
the Elwood Dads Band.
Affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University
Expertise: Community treatment in Bipolar Disorder
Affiliation: University of Miami Leonard M. Miller
School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
Expertise: Substance abuse in Bipolar
Disorder
Ihsan Salloum, MD, MPH, is a Professor
of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
and Chief, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse:
Treatment and Research, University
of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Salloum graduated
from the University of Bologna School
of Medicine, in Bologna, Italy and
completed the National Institute
of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
post graduate fellowship program
in alcohol research at the Department
of Psychiatry of the University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center .
Dr.
Salloum' s research interest has
focused on developing effective interventions
for co-morbid mood and addictive
disorders and on addressing the diagnostic
complexity of co-morbidity. He is
the recipient of grant awards from
the National Institute of Health
of the United States. Dr. Salloum
has published extensively on the
treatment of co-occurring disorders
and is a frequent speaker at National
and International scientific meetings
on clinical complexity and on innovative
treatments for co-morbid disorders.
Dr.
Salloum is a member of the National
Institute of Health of the United
States NIAAA Scientific Review Group
and a diplomat of the American Board
of Psychiatry and Neurology with
added Qualifications in Addiction Psychiatry. Dr. Salloum, a Distinguished
Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Honorary Member
of the World Psychiatric Association, is also the Chair of the World
Psychiatric Association Section on Classification, Diagnostic Assessment
and Nomenclature, Chair of the Research Training Committee for the
International Society on Bipolar Disorder, and Member of the Board
of the International Network on Person-centered Medicine.
Affiliation: University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill
Expertise: Assessment tools to identify
Bipolar Disorder
Eric Youngstrom, Ph.D., is
an associate professor of Psychology and Psychiatry
at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill, where he is also the Associate
Director of the Center for Excellence
in Research and Treatment of
Bipolar Disorder. He is the first
recipient of the Early Career Award from the Division of Child and
Adolescent Clinical Psychology, and is an elected member of the American
College of Neuropsychopharmacology.
Eric has served as the Director
of the Data Management and Statistical
Analysis Unit and Research Methods
Core of the Center for Research
in Bipolar Disorder across the
Life Cycle. He earned his doctorate
in clinical psychology at the University
of Delaware, and he completed his
predoctoral internship training
at Western Psychiatric Institute
and Clinic before joining the faculty
at Case Western Reserve University.
Dr. Youngstrom is a licensed psychologist and has earned the Carl
F. Wittke, Glennan Fellowship, and the Northeastern Ohio Teaching
Awards.
Dr. Youngstrom serves on the editorial
boards of the Journal of the American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
the Journal of Clinical Child and
Adolescent Psychology, the Journal
of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology,
and Psychological Assessment. He is
the principal investigator on a five
year grant from the National Institute
of Mental Health (R01 MH066647) and co-investigator of a second, multi-site
R01, both designed to improve the assessment of bipolar disorder in
diverse community samples.and has been principal or co-investigator
on more than $14 million in funded projects. |
2009 Annual Report (PDF download)
May 2009 Newsletter (PDF
download)
Debbie is Sean’s Mom and the founder and President of the Fund. She has
a Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Nursing Administration with core courses at
Wharton School of Business. Debbie has served in executive positions in hospitals, HMO and Insurance
companies, as well as Employee Benefits Consulting for clients including the State of Washington and
MCI. She also was the President and founder of US Health Connections, with clients such as Cigna Healthcare
and Emory University, which was sold and taken public. Her love of Sean is the motivation for this organization,
and her business and healthcare experience will be used to further the understanding and improve interventions
available for musicians with bipolar disorder.
Glenn is Sean’s stepdad (“Pops”)
of over 20 years. In addition
to years of experience in healthcare
and hospitality sales at the National
Sales Manager level, Glenn was Vice-President
of US Health Connections and its COO.
Most significantly to him, he was Sean’s
road manager early on, and his business manager and personal consultant
throughout his career. Glenn is Vice-President of the Sean Costello
Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research.
Besides being one of Sean's sisters,
Allison is in charge of Environmental Compliance for PetroSouth,
Inc in Griffin, Georgia. PetroSouth.
is a gasoline distributor providing
services to over 400 gas stations
in Georgia, Alabama and Florida.
She is married with 2 children, Mackinsey, 5, and Zach 3. She is also
currently the vice-president of the PTA at Bolton Academy Elementary
School.
Lauren is Sean's oldest sister. She lives in Atco, New Jersey
with her daughter Samantha.
With 20 years experience as a graphic designer, Lauren is currently working as the art director for Scrambled
Eggz Productions, a graphic design studio specializing in product and package design.
After attending University of Hawaii and Kennesaw State University, Melissa began freelancing in graphics/web
design and established her first business partnership in 2001 with WebWeavers-Atl. In 2005 she founded
Tiny Design Studio, offering website and graphic design services to artists, musicians, non-profits,
and small businesses.
She happened upon Northside Tavern one night in 2003
and experienced music as she’d never
thought possible. Sean Costello was performing that night, and she has been a fan ever since. Over
the years, Melissa was a regular
at local venues showcasing Sean’s music, and introduced friends and family to the wonder that she
felt was always on the cusp of national
fame. Through this avid fandom, she became a friend, and gratefully participates on the Board to
continue to spread the word, and to develop
a website that reflects Sean’s legacy and the goals of the Fund.
Patti’s background is eclectic, including
running her own business, being
a member of several LLCs (including
serving as treasurer for 2 of them),
and serving as the current president
of her local professional association.
She is a belly dance instructor and
performer so she has some knowledge
of the entertainment field albeit on
a local/regional basis. In the past she has been a career counselor,
teacher, and health care administrator. She has volunteered for a variety
of service organizations in a myriad of roles has done some freelance
writing, and raised a family which she considers to be the hardest and
most rewarding job of all.
Patti is Sean’s aunt
and godmother, and Debbie's sister.
Bridget is Sean's younger sister who
currently lives in London, UK. Since Spring, 2007, Bridget has served
as Educational Advisor and Events Manager at the US-UK
Fulbright Commission. Before joining
the Commission, Bridget completed studies in both the US and UK, receiving
a Bachelor’s degree from Bryn Mawr College and Master’s degrees from
the Courtauld Institute of Art as well
as King’s College London, and worked
in museum and heritage education.
Aileen is a graduate of Emory University
(Ph.D. in genetics and molecular
biology) and the University of South Carolina (M.S. in genetic counseling). She has eight years
of experience in federal public health surveillance, epidemiology
and research, including research design, survey development, data
analysis, and communication with stakeholders, such as federal agencies,
advocacy groups, public health officials, clinicians and scientists. She
has successfully applied her skills to a diverse range of public
health issues, using both fieldwork and data analysis, and she is
well-represented in peer-reviewed scientific journals. She
has recently returned to school to study mental health and chemical
dependency. A long-time fan, she met Sean when he was 19 and
playing for tips weekly at Fat Matt's Rib Shack. While thrilled
for him and his success, she missed her weekly blues fix when Sean
began to travel more. She is honored to have the opportunity
to apply her skills and experience
in his memory to improve the lives of musicians with bipolar disorder.
Amy Pollick has been Director of Government
Relations at the Association for Psychological
Science since 2006. She received her
PhD in Neuroscience and Animal Behavior
from Emory University, where she worked
with ethologist Frans de Waal and conducted research on multi-modal
communication in nonhuman primates.
She has published in peer-reviewed
journals as well as several edited
volumes.
As APS's liaison with federal research
agencies and Congress, Amy educates
policy makers about the role of behavioral
science in health, education, productivity,
and other areas of public concern,
and advocates to improve the visibility
of psychological science and further
its use in developing public policy.
Amy met Sean at the Northside Tavern in 2002,
and has been a fan of his ever since.
Rosy started out as a harmonica player
in the great Boston blues scene of the 1970’s, touring the East Coast
as a member of various regional bands.
He was also lucky enough to record
with Sunnyland Slim and back up blues
legends including John Lee Hooker,
Hubert Sumlin, Luther “Georgia Boy
Shaky Snake” Johnson, Otis Rush and others during that wild time.
Rosy
set up a basement recording studio
and started Tone-Cool Records in 1985.
He spent the next 20 years as President and/or CEO of Tone-Cool,
released more than 50 records, and
got to work with some amazing artists,
including Sean Costello, Susan Tedeschi,
North Mississippi Allstars, Hubert
Sumlin, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Alvin
Youngblood Hart and lots more. Wearing
the various hats of musician, engineer,
producer, executive producer (sandwich-buyer
and bottle-washer) he was honored
to work with such great creative
forces. Together they earned a certified
Gold Record, multiple Grammy nominations,
and countless W.C. Handy (Blues Music)
Awards. During that time he also served
6 years on the Board of Directors of the Blues Foundation, made some
great friends and ate a lot of Memphis BBQ. (Rosy also completed a degree
in French at Harvard University, but that’s a whole other story…) In
2004, due to the changing realities of the independent record biz, Tone-Cool
became a division of v2/Artemis Records, and he stayed on as Prez until
Spring of 2006.
In
2007 Rosy launched the VizzTone label
group, along with blues musician
Bob Margolin and publishing magnate
Chip Eagle. While VizzTone keeps him quite busy these days, he is
also still playing harmonica, performing
and recording, and have occasionally been spotted producing, songwriting, and plotting further empire-building.
He lives in the Boston area with
his wife Mary, our son Max (whenever he’s home from college) and two small but mighty terriers.
Of
all the artists he’s known and worked alongside,
Rosy offers that none has ever been
more moving or inspirational than Sean Costello,
and none has been dearer to my heart.
He was always proud to work with
him, and even prouder to call him his friend.
Michael is President and owner of Landslide Records, a company which
formed in 1981. Since then he has had the privilege of working with a number of roots oriented Southern
acts, including Bruce Hampton, Tinsley Ellis, Widespread Panic, Nappy Brown, Derek Trucks, Dave Bartholomew,
Webb Wilder, and of course, Sean Costello, with whom I exec-produced three excellent and very gratifying
albums, the last of which was released by Tone Cool/Artemis Records. Michael regards Sean’s talent as
immense, and is proud to have been a part of his creative efforts.
In addition to experience with the record label and a music publishing
company, Michael spent 25 years working in motion picture production, distribution and marketing, from
which he retired in 2005. After 35 years of residing in Atlanta, he and his wife recently moved to Fernandina
Beach, FL where he now concentrates solely on music business interests.
Sean’s best friend and musical cohort, Jon spent the last 11 years hanging out and playing music with
Sean, speaking with him on a constant basis, if not everyday. Sean was his confidant and brother.
Jon has a Bachelor’s Degree from American University. He is band leader/harp player for the Electromatics,
and is well known in the Atlanta Blues community.
Manda is a writer, therapist and coach.
She lives in Smyrna with her husband, Sam, and works part-time in
private practice at the Anxiety & Stress
Management Institute. She also recently started
her own company, Flourish Consulting & Mediation. Manda is the older
sister of Sean's best friend, Eric Pullen. |
