The 2011 Montana Conference on Mental Ilness wil be held at the  Best Western Plus Heritage Inn in Great Falls on November 2nd through 4th.  It's a wonderful event for people who live with serious mental ilnesses, their families, and treatment providers.  We're bringing in speakers from around the country to help chart a path so we can all be "Better Together."

We are honored to have several nationally renowned keynote speakers for this year's Conference:

Ken Duckworth, M.D. - Dr. Duckworth serves as the medical direction for NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. He is triple board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Adult, Child, and Adolescent, and Forensic Psychiatry.  Dr. Duckworth also has extensive experience in the public health arena.

Kevin Hines -  After nearly dying from a horrible suicide attempt off the Golden Gate Bridge, Mr. Hines dedicated his life to helping others find mental wellnes.  His story was featured in the film "The Bridge."

Dr. Nancy Kehoe - Dr. Kehoe is a licensed psychologist who is also an instructor in Psychology at the Department of Psychiatry at the Cambridge Health Alliance, affiliated with Harvard Medical School.  She is a member of the Religious order of the Sacred Heart and has held various leadership positions in her religious congregation.  Dr. Kehoe speaks on the interaction between faith and mental illness treatment.

Dr. David Baker - Dr. Baker is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Marquette University.  Dr. Baker has been recognized for outstanding achievements in basic science by NARSAD with the 2010 Freedman Award for  his research in treating schizophrenia.  Dr. Baker has discovered a novel mechanism in the brain that may give rise to aspects of schizophrenia and has pursued the findings by developing novel medications for the disease.

Ron Morton - Mr. Morton is a veteran of the Vietnam War who lives with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  He is a member of the Cherokee Tribe and shares blood with the Choctaw Tribe and Creek Tribe.  Mr. Morton has worked in the mental health field for more than twenty five years and is currently a board member for NAMI.  He helped establish the National Council of Urban Indian Health and was its first president.