Dave Cortright 🔸

Karma: 418

I have been a serious philanthropist since 2004 and part of the EA community since 2017. I am audaciously optimistic about ameliorating the global mental health crisis and I do EA capacity building through coaching and facilitation. I also support environmental and animal welfare causes. I am on the advisory council of Vegan Outreach and the Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Board.

I am a certified professional coach, with additional experience in crisis counseling and peer mentoring. I shifted to mental health and well-being after 25 years as a designer, manager, and director at Silicon Valley tech companies. I am passionate about helping others, and by guiding them to find their true calling, I amplify my impact on improving the world.

Dave Cortright 🔸 1 Sep 2024 18:13 UTC
6 points
0 ∶ 0
on: DaveC’s Shortform
I’m proud to announce the 5-minute animated short on mental health I wrote back in 2020 is finally finished! I’d love you to watch it and let me know what you think (like, share…). It’s currently “unlisted” as I wait to see how the production studio wants to release it publicly. But in the meantime I’m sharing it with my extended network.

Dave Cortright 🔸 13 Aug 2024 15:53 UTC
3 points
1 ∶ 0
on: “AI Safety for Fleshy Humans” an AI Safety explainer by Nicky Case
Part 2 is now available
https://aisafety.dance/p2/

Dave Cortright 🔸 24 Jul 2024 19:47 UTC
0 points
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on: DaveC’s Shortform
Mental health org in India that follows the paraprofessional model
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/maanasi-mental-health-care-women/
#mental-health-cause-area

Dave Cortright 🔸 18 Jun 2024 18:22 UTC
6 points
2 ∶ 2
in reply to: Alex Mallen’s comment on: Mr Beast is now officially engaged in effective giving!
I appreciate your perspective Alan and trust that everyone reading this has the agency to determine for themselves what is the best use of their time. I found watching the video gave me a better understanding of the challenges and benefits of unconditional cash transfers.

Dave Cortright 🔸 18 Jun 2024 17:30 UTC
1 point
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in reply to: Ben Millwood🔸’s comment on: Mr Beast is now officially engaged in effective giving!
Neither Joseph nor I were taking a black-or-white view of things. My “is the world better” thought experiment is merely a first-order approximation of a complex issue. I apologize if that was not clear.

Dave Cortright 🔸 16 Jun 2024 22:58 UTC
1 point
1 ∶ 0
in reply to: Ben Millwood🔸’s comment on: Mr Beast is now officially engaged in effective giving!
So capitalization matters. I can get behind that 😊

Dave Cortright 🔸 16 Jun 2024 19:14 UTC
18 points
4 ∶ 0
on: Mr Beast is now officially engaged in effective giving!
I’ve updated the title, but to those of you who had a problem with me asserting that engaging publicly with Give Directly qualifies someone as an EA, what criteria do you think is required for someone/something to be in EA? There’s no standards certification body, so in my estimation it comes down to “the eye of the beholder”. But curious what others think.

For example, I heavily support Vegan Outreach because their goal is to get people to go vegan as efficiently as possible. Yet they aren’t on any EA animal welfare lists, they’re not interested in going to the conferences or getting more involved in the community. They want to focus on vegan conversations. And I respect that.

Giving What We Can also said as much in their latest blog post on the pledge, noting that pledgers get to decide what they consider is effective. https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/en/blog/5-things-you-ve-got-wrong-about-the-giving-what-we-can-pledge

Dave Cortright 🔸 16 Jun 2024 18:12 UTC
34 points
11 ∶ 0
in reply to: Joseph Lemien’s comment on: Mr Beast is now officially engaged in effective giving!
First and foremost Jimmy wants to create a compelling story that gets people to watch. Maybe it all could be done a bit less dramatically, but overall I think he does a good job of representing people as just needing some resources and opportunities to build a better life for themselves.

At the end of the day, is the world better off for having this video in it and all the good done in its production? Yes, I think it’s a net positive.

Dave Cortright 🔸 16 Jun 2024 18:07 UTC
32 points
8 ∶ 0
in reply to: JackM’s comment on: Mr Beast is now officially engaged in effective giving!
I spoke with Jimmy 2 years ago and talked with him about EA, which he had already heard of through a friend. He’s definitely aware of it. Whether or not he considers himself an EA is another story, but he is engaging with an effective philanthropy, and doing a lot of good in the world not only through his direct work but also driving awareness via his massive platform. That looks effective from my perspective.

Dave Cortright 🔸 16 Jun 2024 15:31 UTC
1 point
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on: Introducing the Profit for Good Blog: Transforming Business for Charity
What do you think about orgs that donate a portion of their profits, like Ivory Ella or Endangered Species Chocolate?

Dave Cortright 🔸 10 Jun 2024 5:56 UTC
7 points
1 ∶ 0
on: Introducing the Profit for Good Blog: Transforming Business for Charity
I’m a fan of this concept. Would love to see your analysis of https://good.store by the vlog brothers

Dave Cortright 🔸 30 May 2024 17:53 UTC
13 points
2 ∶ 0
on: A Scar Worth Bearing: My Improbable Story of Kidney Donation
Thanks for sharing, Elizabeth! I donated bone marrow, and enthusiastically recommend others consider signing up for medical donation programs like the ones listed above.

Dave Cortright 🔸 30 May 2024 0:14 UTC
1 point
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on: EA Mental Health podcast from the Flourishing Minds Fund
Here’s another one worth a listen: Changing the Game: StrongMinds’ Mission to Improve Mental Health Globally on The Giving What We Can Podcast

https://overcast.fm/+y62ecrUYI

Dave Cortright 🔸 22 May 2024 23:24 UTC
1 point
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on: Self-Care: Use Cutting Edge Psychotherapeutic Methods (CBT, IFS) with a Matched Buddy or Support-Group Now.
Minor grammatical correction: “deeper seated” is the more apt idiom, rather than “deeper suited” 🤓

Dave Cortright 🔸 5 May 2024 22:17 UTC
10 points
3 ∶ 1
on: DaveC’s Shortform
Edgy and data-driven TED talk on how the older generations in America are undermining the youth. Worth a watch.

Dave Cortright 🔸 3 May 2024 17:50 UTC
5 points
2 ∶ 0
on: DaveC’s Shortform
I haven’t gone through this all the way, but I’ve loved Nicky Case’s previous explainers.
https://aisafety.dance/

Dave Cortright 🔸 23 Apr 2024 16:14 UTC
1 point
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on: My Experience Donating Blood Stem Cells, or: Why You Should Join a Bone Marrow Registry
I also joined the registry and donated, and recommend others join the registry. The more people on the registry, the more lives we can save.

I joined the registry in August 2012. I was asked to donate in April 2020 and donated in November 2020. Since I was already a registered organ donor (join that registry too if you haven’t!) it felt like the next logical step. Just a step up from giving blood.
I was surprised to be called upon, given the low odds of a match (1/430). At one point in the process, it felt onerous and I nearly pulled out. But after thinking about how I would feel if I needed a transplant to possibly save my life, I went ahead with it.
The extraction was from my bloodstream (not needles in the pelvis, thankfully). But for this method, I had to receive injections of a drug that increased my bone marrow cell production. It gave me mild flu-like symptoms, which is normal.
It kinda sucked doing this during the heart of the pandemic, before the vaccine was even available to medical workers. I had to wear an N95 all day, and my girlfriend was not allowed in the room with me; (usually, they allow a companion). I was also slightly worried about spending a whole day indoors with other people, which I wasn’t doing at the time. The fact that it was a medical facility that was dedicated solely to cancer and had no COVID patients helped ease my mind.
It took about 6–7 hours in the clinic. I mostly read, watched videos, and snoozed between visits from the nurse. I required calcium supplements hourly since the centrifugal extraction process also pulls out calcium. My lips would get numb and tingly.
I paid for nothing. All of the tests, screenings, meds, the procedure, and travel costs were paid (including mileage, hotel room, and meals).
As a bonus, I got a comprehensive health screening at a time when I didn’t have great medical coverage.
All in all, I’m glad I did it. I think everyone should register given the low up-front investment. Odds are you won’t be called. And if you are, you can always decide whether or not to do it at that time.

[Cross-posted from here]

Dave Cortright 🔸 9 Apr 2024 21:27 UTC
6 points
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on: An overview of promising mental health interventions
Great report, Stan! I’ve subscribed to follow your posts. I appreciate you collating all the evidence and conclusions of the data in the mental health space.
Regarding alcoholism, I’m a fan of Johann Hari’s conclusion that “the opposite of addiction is [positive human] connection.” Stanford research supports this with their meta-analysis of alcohol treatment programs, finding the peer-support system in 12-step programs to be most effective.

Dave Cortright 🔸 9 Apr 2024 20:14 UTC
6 points
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on: Mental Health Report (CEARCH) [Executive Summary]
I echo what John Salter said: this is great and it’s important to have more of reports like this to elevate the mental health cause area.
Regarding health burden, what’s shown here is a significant underreporting. There is strong evidence that poor mental health leads to increased physical health problems. Some sources to consider are the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study by the American CDC ( ACEs Aware is a good resource, too), The Loneliness and Isolation report by the US Surgeon General, The Harvard Grant Study, and the Rosteo Study.

Dave Cortright 🔸 22 Mar 2024 17:43 UTC
−1 points
0 ∶ 0
in reply to: saulius’s comment on: DaveC’s Shortform
One common argument against veganism is that humans are carnivores. We aren’t. We are designed to eat cooked food.