University of Utah gets $35M to advance mental healthcare, research
by Logan Stefanich ksl · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- The University of Utah received a $35M gift for mental health research.
- The Translational Research Facility, slated to open in 2027, will support mental healthcare.
- Gail Miller emphasizes the facility's importance for community mental health challenges.
SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah and Huntsman Mental Health Foundation on Monday announced that it received a $35 million gift to advance mental healthcare and research.
Specifically, the $35 million contribution from the Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation will go toward the completion of the Translational Research Facility, slated to open in 2027.
Now named the Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Translational Research Facility, the building will support mental health research and clinical care by providing a working lab where researchers and educators can collaborate with experts across multiple disciplines to address mental health challenges.
Gail Miller said the facility represents "a commitment to deepen our understanding of mental health and to help move that understanding into better care, deeper care for families who need it and the people in our community who will benefit from it."
"That work matters because mental health challenges touch every family in our community," Miller said. "They affect us personally, or they affect someone that we love. At some point, many of us need support, and when people reach out for help, they deserve care that's thoughtful, effective and grounded in the best knowledge that we can bring to it."
It's an issue that hits close to home for many, including the Miller family.
Sabrina Humphrey, a third-generation member of the Miller family, shared a story of her own mental health struggles after having her second child.
After living what Humphrey described as a "happy, normal life" for about a year after giving birth to her second child, things took a turn. For the first time in her life and seemingly overnight, Humphrey started experiencing severe anxiety and panic attacks.
"I went from being a happy, independent person to struggling with things I had never given a second thought to. Driving somewhere with my kids, folding a load of laundry, or preparing a meal for my family suddenly felt nearly impossible," Humphrey said.
Eventually, she was admitted to the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, and after some time and exploration of different modes of treatment, Humphrey said she is now "living my best life that I ever have."
"I used to think anxiety was something that people could just think themselves out of if they just shifted their mindset to be more positive. I was humbled," Humphrey said. "That's why the research that will take place in this building is so important. The discoveries made here won't just contribute to our understanding of mental health; they have the potential to change the course of someone's life."
Greg Miller, vice chairman of the Larry H. Miller Company Board of Directors, said the Translational Research Facility will be a first-of-its-kind center, bringing experts in science, translational science, artificial intelligence, public policy, business, and law together to collaborate with in-house researchers and educators.
"By connecting these perspectives, the building aims to accelerate the development of new approaches to mental health, mental healthcare and medicine — and get them to patients in half the time," Greg Miller said.
Watch the announcement here:
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