Scars to STARs Summit 2026 Marks 30 Years of ACEs Science with Historic Partnership, High-Profile Speakers, and Radical Access to Trauma Recovery
WASHINGTON, D.C. — May 19, 2026 — STAR Network Foundation, a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to supporting Survivors of Toxic Abusive Relationships (STARs), today announced a powerful partnership with the Family Preservation Alliance to host the Scars to STARs Summit 2026 — a landmark free global virtual summit taking place on STARs Day, May 22, 2026, during Mental Health Awareness Month.
The summit, themed “The ACEs Next 30 Years: The Future of Trauma-Informed Recovery,” is free and open to survivors, families, clinicians, and advocates worldwide. Participants from more than 60 countries are expected to attend.
Registration: Scars to STARs Summit 2026 is free and open to the public. Register at starnetwork.org/scars-to-stars-2026/attend/
A Partnership Built for Purpose: Mission Meets Mission
STAR Network Foundation has partnered with the Family Preservation Alliance to expand the reach and deepen the impact of Scars to STARs Summit 2026. The Family Preservation Alliance’s long-standing commitment to keeping families safe, intact, and supported — and to confronting the root causes of intergenerational trauma — aligns powerfully with STAR Network’s mission of healing for survivors of toxic abusive relationships.
Together, the two organizations are uniting survivors, clinicians, advocates, and thought leaders from across more than 60 countries — ensuring that no one is turned away due to geography, cost, or accessibility barriers. By combining STAR Network’s grassroots community infrastructure with the Family Preservation Alliance’s national network of family-focused researchers, practitioners, and advocates, the summit becomes far more than an event — it becomes a movement.
“At Family Preservation Alliance, we know that healthy families are the foundation of healthy communities — and that trauma left unaddressed becomes the inheritance of the next generation. Partnering with STAR Network Foundation to deliver this summit to more than 60 countries is exactly the kind of evidence-based, family-centered work that changes lives. When survivors and families have access to the research, the community, and the trauma-informed care they need, we don’t just heal individuals — we break cycles that have persisted for generations.”
— John Hamel, President, Family Preservation Alliance
“Mental health should not be a privilege. It should be a right. Our partnership with the Family Preservation Alliance allows us to meet our community where they are — anywhere in the world, at no cost. This is what it looks like when two missions converge to build real infrastructure for healing.”
— Jamie Huysman, PsyD, LCSW, Founder & Executive Director, STAR Network Foundation
A Historic Convening: 30 Years of ACEs Science
Scars to STARs Summit 2026 is not simply a virtual conference — it is a historic convening. This year’s event marks nearly 30 years since the publication of the landmark Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study, one of the most consequential public health studies in American history. The summit will honor that legacy while charting the next 30 years of trauma-informed practice, policy, and recovery.
Highlights of the 2026 Summit
- High-Profile Speakers: Former U.S. Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy and Dr. Melissa T. Merrick, PhD, President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America, lead a roster of global mental health leaders.
- Landmark Award Recipients: ACEs study co-principal investigators Dr. Vincent J. Felitti and Dr. Robert F. Anda will each receive the 2026 STAR NeuroLeadership Award, honoring their foundational contributions to trauma science.
- Historic Organizational Announcement: The summit will mark the formal integration of PACEs Connection into the STAR Network ecosphere, uniting a global community of more than 69,000 members and 500 chapters with STAR’s grassroots infrastructure.
- Truly Global Reach: Participants from 60+ countries are expected, with the event free and accessible to all — made possible in part through the partnership with the Family Preservation Alliance.
Shared Values: Making Mental Health a Right, Not a Privilege
At the heart of this partnership is a shared conviction: that healing should be available to everyone, everywhere. STAR Network Foundation has built its entire model around free, accessible, community-driven recovery — from TAR Anon®, its free peer-led virtual fellowship meeting five days a week across time zones, to STARs Day itself, an annual gift to the world during Mental Health Awareness Month.
The Family Preservation Alliance’s expertise in family-centered policy, child protection, and the prevention of intergenerational trauma extends the reach of STARs Day to audiences who may not have previously encountered STAR Network’s mission — creating new pathways for survivors and families to find support, connection, and community. Together, the two organizations are demonstrating what becomes possible when mission-aligned partners come together in service of human dignity.
“What’s been missing is access. STARs Day 2026 is about turning three decades of evidence into infrastructure that actually reaches the people who need it.”
— Dr. Jamie Huysman, Founder & Executive Director, STAR Network Foundation
About STAR Network Foundation
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 — and programs like NorthSTAR 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.
About Family Preservation Alliance
The Family Preservation Alliance believes in the power of families as the fundamental building blocks of society. Its mission is to ensure swift, effective, and uniform interventions in the best interests of children — codified at all stages of family breakdown — and to end the psychological abuse by the individuals and systems that contribute to the breakdown of parent/child/family bonds. The Alliance’s work spans three critical stages: early intervention and rapid resolution for families just beginning to interface with these systems; immediate, evidence-based intervention and resources for families already interfacing with them regularly; and effective, trauma-informed survivor healing resources for adult children and their families to move forward together.
Guided by values of collaboration, compassion, empowerment, evidence-based solutions, impact, inclusivity, integrity, and resilience, the Family Preservation Alliance envisions a world where families are safe havens, where children thrive, and where the global community stands united in preserving and strengthening the very heart of society — the family. Learn more at familypreservationalliance.org.
Press Contact
Dr. Jamie Huysman | Founder & Executive Director | STAR Network Foundation
305-303-4000