On Thursday, March 9th we celebrated with a kickoff event as the Irsay Institute opened with a splash! A crowd of Irsay affiliates, community partners and supporters from campus and beyond filled President’s Hall to hear founding director Bernice Pescosolido describe the vision behind the new Institute, and the impressive array activities in which the many Irsay affiliates engage. The kickoff actually spanned three days of intense research activity and happy celebrations.

From the IU press release:

"The Irsay Institute consists of a founding faculty of more than 20 sociomedical scientists who are building connections between existing health-related social science programs, centers, and researchers on the IU Bloomington campus and at the IU School of Medicine to target innovations that translate into enhanced training, workforce development, policy change and program success.

"Along with targeting stigma, Irsay Institute researchers are tackling issues of substance use disorder, sexuality and reproduction, the health care system, global health, and the effects of climate on health. While having a rich array of research areas, the Irsay Institute has a special connection to advancing the goals of the Colts’ Kicking the Stigma initiative, an effort to raise awareness about mental health and remove the stigma often associated with mental health disorders."