Jennifer Stuber, social work professor and faculty director of Forefront, a University of Washington collaborative effort dedicated to suicide prevention, was appointed a CoMotion Presidential Innovation Fellow by the University of Washington. CoMotion was established in 2011 to recognize the value that entrepreneurial thinking brings to the UW campus, the Puget Sound area and the nation. Awardees are identified as mentors to others within the University community and as partners for local, national and global innovation initiatives. Fellows receive $5,000 in discretionary innovation funds.
“Jennifer is a remarkable innovator and renowned scholar in mental health policy,” said Eddie Uehara, Professor and Ballmer Endowed Dean in 
SocialWork. “Through her exemplary work with Forefront, she represents what is possible when a leading scholar and talented teacher takes innovative research and transforms it into significant social impact. She is an inspiration to her students, staff and faculty colleagues.”
Under Stuber’s leadership, Forefront has developed an impressive record since its inception two years ago. The research center provided key data and consultation to Washington state legislators to support the passage of three groundbreaking laws requiring suicide prevention training for health care professionals. The laws are considered models for similar legislation in other states.
This year, Forefront announced a partnership with Facebook to harness the reach of the world’s largest social network provider to bring online resources to users who are considering suicide as well as their families and friends. Locally, Forefront received a three-year, federal grant to launch Husky Help & Hope, a University-based suicide prevention initiative that provides coordinated expert outreach to students.
“I am thrilled to learn from my esteemed colleagues who are having a huge impact on the world in their respective fields,” said Stuber, “and to think through the major public health problem of suicide with these colleagues. The CoMotion funds will be used to produce a documentary short film on suicide prevention, informed by years of research—a much needed innovation to the field.” Candidates for the CoMotion Fellows Program, formerly known as the Presidential Entrepreneurial Faculty Fellows Program, are nominated by deans and department chairs campus-wide, and are approved by the president of the University.
Stuber (pictured, right) received her doctorate from the Yale University School of Public Health and served as a Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar at Columbia University. She joined the School in 2006 where, in addition to her groundbreaking work with Forefront, she focuses on forms of oppression, health disparities, mental health and policy-making processes.