Dr. Janet Currie, the David Swensen Professor of Economics at Yale University, will deliver the 2025 Marburg Memorial Lecture, “Investing in Children to Address the Youth Mental Health Crisis,” on Friday, Nov. 14, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Weasler Auditorium.
The lecture will examine three myths surrounding the youth mental health crisis: that the crisis is new, that rising youth suicides primarily reflect worsening mental health, and that investments in children have little effect on outcomes. Currie will present evidence showing that the crisis has persisted for decades, that suicide rates often diverge from other measures of youth mental health, and that strategic investments in children can significantly improve well-being and reduce risk.
Currie is co-director of the Program on Families and Children at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a pioneer in the economic analysis of child development. Her research explores socioeconomic disparities in health, environmental threats to well-being, child mental health and the long-term effects of childhood conditions.
A member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine and the British Academy, Currie has received numerous honors, including the Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize (2023) and recognition as a Clarivate Citation Laureate (2024). She served as president of the American Economic Association in 2024 and was named one of the top 10 women in economics by the World Economic Forum in 2015.
The Marburg Memorial Lecture is an annual event honoring the legacy of Theodore and Marianne Marburg, long-time supporters of the Department of Economics at Marquette University.
