Root Causes and Interventions for Mental Health Problems Grants

The President’s Initiative on Student Mental Health and the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain

Small Grant Opportunity for Faculty
Root Causes and Interventions for Mental Health Problems

APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED

The Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB) and the President’s Initiative on Student Mental Health (PRISMH) are pleased to announce a joint funding initiative focused on the root causes, antecedents, and risk factors for mental health struggles as well as novel interventions. Open to  faculty from across the University of Minnesota, system-wide, who conduct work in this area. This program is designed to support new research teams and to promote novel ideas that have strong potential for advancing our understanding of mental health challenges and increasing the visibility of the University of Minnesota as a leader in this area.

Mental health issues among children, adolescents, and young adults are increasing markedly from what has been observed in past years, resulting in perhaps unprecedented levels of human suffering in younger people and elevated rates of service utilization. Despite these increases, relatively little is understood about recent epidemiological patterns, antecedents of mental health difficulties, and long-range consequences. In recognition of these knowledge gaps, we invite applications from faculty who are not currently collaborating with one another and whose work is innovative and has the potential to transform our understanding of mental health risks, setting the stage for preventive efforts and novel interventions that can be directed to high-risk populations.

Congratulations to the 2023 awardees:

  • Ka Ip, PhD, assistant professor in the Institute of Child Development, will address antecedents of mental illness by utilizing data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Consortium study to investigate the role of structural racism in adolescent mental health.
  • Kathryn Cullen, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, will lead implementation of a novel intervention, the Imagination Studio, an art-based intervention designed to reduce symptoms and promote health for UMN college students who suffer from depression.