Poitras family funds early career mental health research
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Patricia and James Poitras have given $10 million to MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research to establish a fellowship program supporting young scientists dedicated to psychiatric disorders research.
The Poitras family has long supported MIT’s work on mental health, beginning with a $20 million gift in 2007 to launch the Poitras Center for Psychiatric Disorders Research.
This new funding will create 50 two-year fellowships awarded over the next decade to PhD students and postdocs, aiming to build a lasting pipeline of talent focused on conditions like depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. The Poitras Center takes a broad approach to mental health research, bringing together neuroscience, psychiatry, and molecular biology to understand how these disorders affect the brain.
Previous investments from the family have led to advances in areas like AI-powered risk prediction for bipolar disorder and new methods for delivering therapies. Five researchers have already been selected as the first Poitras Center Fellows and Graduate Scholars. They are investigating topics ranging from distinguishing anxiety subtypes using game theory to understanding the connection between gut health and mental wellbeing, and how exercise impacts brain function.
The Poitras family hopes this investment in early-career scientists will accelerate the development of life-changing treatments for mental health conditions.
