Watch the 2021 Dorothy C. Fuqua Lecture:
The Weight of Gold
On May 12, 2021, Skyland Trail hosted an expert panel on mental health and athletic competition. The event reviewed the documentary Weight of Gold followed by a panel discussion with 2006 Olympic Silver Medalist and World Champion figure skater Sasha Cohen, film director-producer Brett Rapkin, sports psychologist Kensa Gunter, Psy.D., CMPC, and Skyland Trail Charles B. West Chief Medical Officer Raymond J. Kotwicki, MD, MPH, DFAPA. The panel discussion will be moderated by WXIA-TV 11Alive news anchor and Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellow Christie Diez.
About Weight of Gold
Weight of Gold currently is streaming on HBO Max.
In a typical year, more than 3.6 billion people globally tune in to watch the Olympic Games. What most of these viewers don’t know is that just like one in five Americans, many of these Olympic athletes similarly face serious mental health challenges and struggle to find the necessary support and resources.
The Weight of Gold seeks to inspire discussion about mental health issues, encourage people to seek help, and highlight the need for readily available support. It features accounts from Olympic athletes who share their own struggles with mental health issues, including Michael Phelps, Jeremy Bloom, Lolo Jones, Gracie Gold, Bode Miller, Shaun White, Sasha Cohen, David Boudia, Katie Uhlaender, and, posthumously, Steven Holcomb and Jeret "Speedy" Peterson (via his mother, Linda Peterson).
About the Dorothy C. Fuqua Lecture Series
The goal of this annual event is to amplify the voices of mental health experts and individuals with lived experience to elevate mental health as an issue of importance here in Atlanta and across the country.
The lecture series honors the late Dorothy Chapman Fuqua, former board member and benefactor of Skyland Trail, and is made possible by Duvall and Rex Fuqua and Edwina and Tom Johnson in honor of Mrs. Fuqua.
Past Lectures
2020
"Managing Anxiety in Anxious Times"
Panelists: Ben Hunter, MD; Raymond J. Kotwicki, MD, MPH, DFAPA; Barbara J. Coffey, MD, MS
2019
"From Tragedy to Treatment: The Path Forward for Suicide Prevention"
Featured Speaker: Former U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates
Panelists: Ben Hunter, MD; Dorian Lamis, PhD; Rev. Dr. D. Scott Weimer
2016
“In Our Shoes” at The Carter Center
Panelists: Virginia Senator Creigh Deeds, Ms. Julie Hirsch, Honorable Patrick J. Kennedy
2015
“Schumann: Music, Mood Swings & Madness”
Featured Speaker: Richard Kogan, MD, psychiatrist and Julliard-trained concert pianist
2014
“In Our Shoes”
Featured Speakers: comedian Kevin Breel, and author Melody Moezzi
2013
“Mental Illness in America: From Stigma to Strategy”
Moderator: Sanjay Gupta, MD
Panelists: authors Linea & Cinda Johnson and CDC epidemiologist Alex Crosby, MD