Global Insights: Austin Lucas Highlights Ohio’s Leadership in Suicide Prevention at IASP Congress

Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF) Associate Director Austin Lucas recently attended the 33rd World Congress for the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) in Vienna, Austria. The event, held June 10-13, 2025, brought together researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and advocates worldwide to share knowledge, exchange best practices, and collaborate on strategies to address this pressing public health issue.

OSPF sponsored the conference, and Austin delivered opening remarks to about 900 attendees.

“This international conference is crucial, especially with changing global dynamics,” Austin said. “I emphasized to the delegates the need for international collaboration, connection, and advocacy to prevent suicide.”

More than 100 speakers from around the world shared cutting-edge research and insights. Delegates from the United States, including representatives from Ohio, participated in the event. Austin conducted a 90-minute workshop focused on Suicide Fatality Review (SFR), psychological autopsy, and retrospective fatality analysis, highlighting how Ohio has made progress with these community-led initiatives. The workshop included a mock case review to give the attendees from about 15 countries a glimpse of what a SFR committee meeting would look like.

“The feedback I received was overwhelmingly positive,” Austin said. “The attendees were interested in how Ohio has implemented local prevention-based strategies and our real-world examples of those recommendations.”

He noted the experience offered several key takeaways, particularly regarding the impact of stigma in various parts of the world. “While I learned a lot from other countries and cultures, it was clear that Ohio is leading the way in suicide prevention efforts.”