Irsay Director Bernice Pescosolido Receives ‘Jim Irsay Mental Health Champion’ Award from Kicking the Stigma

Kalen Jackson, left, Indianapolis Colts co-owner, chief brand officer and president of the Colts Foundation, honors Indiana University Distinguished Professor of Sociology Bernice Pescosolido as the inaugural Jim Irsay Mental Health Champion on Oct. 3 at Kicking the Stigma's annual fundraising event in Indianapolis. Photo by the Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts and its Kicking the Stigma initiative have named Indiana University Distinguished Professor of Sociology Bernice Pescosolido as the inaugural Jim Irsay Mental Health Champion.

Named in honor of the late Colts owner, the award recognizes a person or organization for extraordinary commitment to advancing mental health awareness, support and advocacy.

Pescosolido is director of IU’s Irsay Institute, which supports the development of transdisciplinary research at the intersection of health and the social sciences, including a focus on mental health and stigma. She is also Kicking the Stigma’s scientific adviser.

“In addition to being one of the world’s foremost experts on stigma in mental health and a dedicated professor at IU, Bernice has been an invaluable resource to Kicking the Stigma and our efforts to change the dialogue around mental health,” said Kalen Jackson, Colts co-owner, chief brand officer and president of the Colts Foundation.

“Her work focuses on discovering evidence-based solutions to the mental health challenges faced by so many of our friends and neighbors, and she is more than deserving of this recognition.”

In 1996, Pescosolido started the first major study of mental health stigma in the U.S. in more than 40 years. This research laid some of the groundwork for the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health and the 2013 White House Conference on Mental Health.

Pescosolido advises national and global initiatives about how to reduce mental health stigma. She is the founding director of the Indiana Consortium for Mental Health Services Research and a founding director of the Irsay Institute, which was created in 2021 by a gift from the Irsay family.

“Bernice’s recognition as the inaugural Jim Irsay Mental Health Champion is a testament to her groundbreaking research and the extraordinary impact she has had on this critical issue,” IU President Pamela Whitten said. “IU is committed to advancing mental health education and care, and we are grateful for Bernice’s leadership, advocacy and dedication to improving the lives of countless individuals and families in Indiana and beyond.”

The professor said she was honored to receive the award, particularly as it puts a greater spotlight on mental health awareness and research.

“I think any light that shines on this, if it can change one person’s ideas or have one person seek help, that’s great,” Pescosolido said.

The national stigma studies conducted at IU show that about 50% of Americans endorse prejudice toward people with mental health problems, Pescosolido said.

Pescosolido received the award — an artistic take on the Colts horseshoe made of glass —on Oct. 3 at Kicking the Stigma’s annual fundraising event in Indianapolis.

Jim Irsay, who passed away in May, launched Kicking the Stigma in 2020 along with his daughters. The Colts’ initiative to raise awareness about and end the stigma surrounding mental health is based on the NFL’s My Cause, My Cleats program. Kicking the Stigma has committed more than $32 million to expand treatment and research and raise awareness statewide and nationally.

“I don’t think there’s any group that has shown more courage in standing up against the stigma of mental illness than the Colts franchise, and in particular for Jim Irsay himself to come out of the shadows and talk about his experience,” Pescosolido said. “I think it means a great deal to people who face mental health challenges and their families.”

Pescosolido said she didn’t expect her career to have a large focus on mental health. But as a medical sociologist, she was interested in how people cope with problems, specifically health problems.

“The more I got into it, the more I realized that mental health needs champions,” Pescosolido said, also noting that Oct. 10 is World Mental Health Day.

Mental health has the same prevalence in the American population as cancer, she said, but receives one-tenth of the support from the public, private foundations, donors and institutes that focus on mental health.

“The more I saw how unfair the playing field is for people, families and communities that face mental health problems, the more I wanted to help or to do something that would be useful,” Pescosolido said.