NIMH Celebrates 75th Anniversary With Special Sessions

In April 1949, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) was formally established as one of the first components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). At this year’s Annual Meeting in New York, NIMH is sponsoring a special track of eight sessions marking its 75th anniversary and looking ahead to the future.

“NIMH doesn’t get enough credit for all the progress we have made in understanding the brain,” said Megan Kinnane, Ph.D., senior advisor to the NIMH director who helped organize this year’s track of sessions. “We are really excited about where we have come from and where we are going and hope to share some of our stories.”

The centerpiece presentation will be a panel talk featuring current NIMH Director Joshua Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., along with two of his predecessors: Steven Hyman, M.D., Ph.D. (1996–2001, currently the director of the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute), and Thomas Insel, M.D. (2002–2015, currently executive chair of Vanna Health, a startup organization that works with community partners to provide for people with serious mental illness).

The trio of past and present leaders will reflect on their time at the helm as well as discuss the history of mental health research more broadly. Kinnane said the session will be frank and discuss not only the institute’s many accomplishments but also areas in which it could improve. “We haven’t always been in a good space, and it’s important to acknowledge that.”

The other seven scientific sessions will touch on some of the big programs that NIMH has initiated and/or been involved in over the years; these include the Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE) initiative, which paved the way for specialty coordinated care services for schizophrenia, and the ongoing BRAIN initiative, which is developing innovative tools to study and treat brain disorders.

The track includes the following sessions:

In addition to the presentations, NIMH will have an exhibit showcasing the institute’s history and milestones, so attendees should look for it between sessions.

In the meantime, Kinnane suggested that interested individuals check out the 75th anniversary celebration page on NIMH’s website. The page includes a downloadable history booklet, a digital toolkit, podcasts, and a schedule of related events. On March 18, for example, NIMH will host a live and virtual symposium at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., on NIMH’s interaction with society over the years. The symposium will bring together researchers and people living with mental illness who will discuss the challenges of clinical mental health research and how it can be made more inclusive. ■