Irsays to donate $3 million to create IU research institute on mental health, stigma

Indiana University will establish a new research institute, designed to be the leading national center for addressing the stigma surrounding mental health and other health challenges, thanks to a $3 million gift from the Jim Irsay family, owners of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. The Irsay Family Research Center will occupy a renovated space on the Indiana University Bloomington campus.

The institute and related programs will be led by IU's Bernice Pescosolido, Distinguished Professor of Sociology in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences and director of IU's Indiana Consortium for Mental Health Services Research. She is a nationally recognized scholar in stigma research and an elected member of both the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences.