The Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) Presents: 

13 Reasons Why: The Controversy and Its Aftermath

A Pre-recorded Conversation

Premiered June 28, 2021


Joy Gorman Wettels

Joy Gorman Wettels is a Partner at Anonymous Content where she produces socially impactful content for women and youth, known for the hit Netflix series 13 REASONS WHY and HOME BEFORE DARK on Apple TV+. Joy is currently in production on a multi-part storytelling ecosystem inspired by Landmark Civil Rights document-series EYES ON THE PRIZE For HBO and HBO Max in partnership with Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Patrisse Cullors and original producers BLACKSIDE. Joy strives for authentic, accurate reflection, and real-world impact by aligning with activists, experts and organizations through storytelling. A fierce advocate for women, kids, and mental health in media, Joy has helped raise awareness for Crisis Text Line, It’s On Us, Protect Her, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and Mental Health America. She’s spoken at several events including USOW, Sundance, Teen Vogue Summit, and an It’s On Us call to action against sexual violence with President Joe Biden. Joy is also one of the first 200 Hollywood women at the forefront of the Time’s Up movement. On behalf of 13 Reasons Why, she’s accepted a Sentinel Award, Television Academy Honors and the 2018 Mental Health America Media Award.


Dan Romer, Ph.D.

Dan Romer is the research director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Romer conducts policy relevant research focusing on social and media influences on positive youth development and decision making, especially as it applies to adolescents. In regard to this round-table discussion, he has studied the influence of both news and fictional media on suicidal outcomes in young people, including the effects of viewing the second season of 13 Reasons Why and online influences such as self-harm depictions on Instagram and suicide discussions on sites such as Reddit.



Vicki Harrison, MSW

Vicki Harrison, MSW is Program Director in the Stanford Department of Psychiatry’s Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing. She has over twenty years of experience working within the public health, education and mental health sectors developing and managing innovative, community-based programs at the local, state, national and international levels. As Program Director for the Stanford Department of Psychiatry’s Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing, she implements a broad portfolio of community-based projects promoting wellbeing, early intervention and increased access to mental health services, particularly for young people ages 12-25. She is leading the team implementing allcove - a first of its kind integrated youth mental health model in the U.S.; as well as building out a national Media and Mental Health Initiative, partnering with the media, mental health and technology sectors to enhance the positive impact of media on youth mental health and wellbeing. She also serves as a founding member of the TikTok Content Advisory Council. 


Drew P. Cingel, Ph.D.

Drew P. Cingel (Ph.D., Northwestern University, 2016) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Davis. His research interests include the effects of social media on adolescent well-being, children’s learning from media, and the influence of media on children’s moral judgements and reasoning. His work has appeared in Communication Research, Media Psychology, New Media & Society, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, and other journals.


In collaboration with the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television the Livestream will be recorded and hosted on the CSS website for future viewing.