The Kent State University Board of Trustees has approved the formation of a Brain Health Research Institute to create synergies among the schools’ existing neuroscience and psychology programs.
The new institute will concentrate on cognitive research as well as exploring neurodegenerative diseases. The university recently got $3.5 million in grants to study mindfulness-based stress reduction, and close to half-a-million-dollars to study Alzheimer’s disease.
Paul DiCorleto, Vice-President of Research at Kent State, says the institute will not offer a new degree program.
“There are many existing degree programs that fit under this heading of brain health research. This will use those programs; we don’t intend to start new ones, but who knows in the future? Maybe some of the collaborations lead to new curricular activities and then we would go forward with that.
“This brings together many existing strengths including research into stress and trauma, brain injury, research into mindfulness and research into basic fundamentals of neuroscience. It really spans multiple schools and departments."
DiCorleto says the institute also will not require a new building. However, it will require hiring a new director and some new faculty, along with centralizing some existing faculty. He puts the price tag of the entire venture “in the ballpark of” $2 million.
He adds that the institute will help expand ongoing clinical partnerships with NEOMED, Cleveland Clinic and Akron Children’s Hospital.
