High Above Fifth with the Young Patrons of the Center for Youth Mental Health

“We recognize there’s a crisis. We have the tools to address it. Now, the mission is getting those tools where they’re needed,” declared Dr. Joshua Gordon, psychiatrist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, speaking to a crowd gathered 59 stories above Midtown Manhattan.

Hosted by the Young Patrons Committee of the Center for Youth Mental Health at NewYork-Presbyterian, the evening unfolded less like a formal reception and more like a spirited salon. Held at Moss New York—the members’ club poised to open its doors at 520 Fifth Avenue in Fall 2025—the event drew designers, creatives, physicians, and philanthropists. With the Empire State Building dramatically framed in oversized windows, the atmosphere was as inspired as the conversation.

Ayesha Shand, co-chair of the Young Patrons Committee, opened the program with personal reflections on the Center’s mission before introducing fellow co-chair Dr. Charlie Shaffer, a psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine. The Center for Youth Mental Health was founded in 2012 by Dr. Shaffer’s late father, the renowned psychiatrist Dr. David Shaffer, with a vision to integrate care, research, and training to better address the adolescent mental health crisis. “The Center’s original goal,” Shaffer explained, “was to identify and fund the smaller pilot projects—the proof-of-concept trials—that held great potential but needed just a little support.” More than a decade later, that vision has led to the training of psychologists, the publication of landmark studies, and improved access to care for tens of thousands of youth across New York.

Dr. Gordon took the podium next, speaking to the Center’s future—one powered by data, driven by innovation, and informed by compassion. “We need answers,” he said. “We need care that pays attention to the answers research provides. And what I’ve known about the Center since its inception is that it’s doing exactly that kind of work.”

Conversation continued long after the remarks concluded. Guests clustered near settees and windows, the city glittering below, as topics ranged from new therapies to travel plans. Drs. Francis Lee, Anne Marie Albano, Shannon Bennett, Warren Ng, and Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele moved through the crowd, anchoring the night’s energy in expertise. Nearby, Dr. Shaffer was overheard discussing the nationwide shortage of child psychiatrists, while longtime supporter Zandy Forbes and Vogue s Mark Guiducci chatted across the room.

The Young Patrons Committee turned out in full force. Alongside Shand and Shaffer were members Damian Fernandez, Alexander Hankin, Paul Henkel, Sophia Herring, Parker Hubbard, Elizabeth Shaffer, and David Smalling. Hankin was already musing about the next gathering, while Herring arrived in a black pearl-embroidered Dior jacket and Shand wore a vivid floral debris satin coat by Jonathan Cohen—a quiet nod to the designer’s presence and his ongoing support of the Center.

The guest list captured a cross-section of New York’s most engaged circles—creative, philanthropic, and fashion-forward. Indré Rockefeller, Sterling McDavid, Lisa Marie Falcone, Ivy Getty, Angelica Hicks, Louisa Jacobson, Batsheva Hay, and Charles Porch were all spotted mingling. In one corner, guests queued for a virtual reality therapy demonstration, donning VR headsets to enter a simulated classroom designed to help students manage school-related anxiety—what resembled a cocktail party novelty proved to be a serious and compelling tool.

As the evening wound down, the mood shifted from celebration to determination. Moss New York—graciously offered for the evening by co-founders Colleen and Hailey Brooks—mirrored that tone: elevated, expansive, and just removed enough from the city below to feel full of promise. “We have a tremendous opportunity,” Dr. Gordon had said earlier. “We have an army of people now growing up knowing there’s a crisis, wanting to address it, willing to seek care for themselves, and to learn how to care for others.” A night that began in reflection ended with resolve.