WHO WE ARE
Learn more about who we are and what connects us to our work below.
Our mission is to advance social connection nation-wide rooted in evidence for our collective well-being.
Our vision is a vibrant society where social connection is at the heart of how we live.
OUR LEADERSHIP
F4SC Board Chair
F4SC Board Vice Chair
F4SC Treasurer
F4SC Founder and Secretary
F4SC Board Member
SLC Chair, F4SC Board Member, and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brigham Young University
F4SC Board Member
F4SC Board Member
F4SC Board Member, Human Connection Specialist and Author
The Scientific Leadership Council (SLC), formerly the Scientific Advisory Council, deliberates and provides consensus recommendations on matters of scientific research and evidence that hold bearing over national and local policy, research development, and program implementation and development.
SLC Chair, F4SC Board Member, and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brigham Young University
Statistician, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers For Disease Control
SLC Vice Chair and Professor of Medicine, University of California San Francisco
Professor, Texas A&M University
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco
Research Associate Professor, University of Oregon
Principal Research Scientist, NORC at The University of Chicago
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
UX Researcher, Meta
Professor, School of Information, University of Michigan
Assistant Professor, Division of Geriatrics, University of California, San Francisco
Associate Professor of Pediatrics in Psychiatry, Columbia University
Our networking power has created and fostered long-term partnerships, allowing us to support and coordinate efforts within the ecosystem to advance social connection.
Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness
As the affiliate 501(c)4 organization to the Foundation, the Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness (CESIL) develops and advocates for federal policy solutions to address the epidemic of social isolation and loneliness. Our Scientific Leadership Council also contributes to the Coalition’s advocacy goals by providing scientific recommendations on key initiatives and policy priorities.
Healthy Places by Design
Through our strategic partnership with Healthy Places by Design, the Foundation is bridging our community and national efforts to catalyze movements across the country. Together, we equip local leaders with the resources to build more socially connected communities and challenge systems to prioritize health and well-being for all.
Global Initiative on Loneliness & Connection
The Global Initiative on Loneliness and Connection (GILC) was formed in the Summer of 2020 amid the global COVID-19 crisis. It is comprised of 14 national organizations committed to ending the pressing global issues of loneliness and social isolation. Together, we support the dissemination of system-wide, national approaches to build social connection.
Office of the Surgeon General
In 2023, the Surgeon General officially declared loneliness a public health epidemic, citing 58% of Americans experience loneliness. The Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection calls attention to the critical role connection plays in individual, community, and societal health and offers a framework for how we can all contribute to improving social connection. We are proud that Scientific Leadership Council (SLC) Chair, Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, served as Lead Scientific Editor of the Advisory. Additionally, our SLC members and staff contributed as Advisory reviewers.
Commit to Connect
We serve as advisors to Commit to Connect, a cross-sector initiative, sponsored by the Administration for Community Living (ACL). The aim of the collaboration is to connect older adults and individuals with disabilities living with isolation with programs and resources to build the social connections they need to thrive. Our Scientific Leadership Council provided a framework to assess programs and technological solutions. The Nationwide Network of Champions serves as local awareness, action, and advocacy champions across the nation.
We regularly join others’ efforts to raise awareness of our social isolation and loneliness epidemic and the importance of social connection. If you would like someone from our team to speak at your engagement, contribute to thought leadership pieces, or provide expert background and quotes, please reach out to us below!
