The possibilities for significant advances in the understanding of depression and bipolar disorders have never been greater. UT Southwestern’s rich research environment has paved the way for important discoveries. The Hersh Foundation’s generous gift supports the next important step − finding the biological foundations that can help us design more effective diagnoses and treatments tailored to an individual’s needs.
Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky, President, UT Southwestern Medical Center
Founded in 1997 by Julie and Ken Hersh, the Hersh Foundation promotes mental health and cultivates future leaders through investments in organizations primed to create quantum-shift change. Julie Hersh, President of the Hersh Foundation, boldly detailed her struggles with depression in her book, Struck By Living: From Depression to Hope, and became a national advocate to highlight the need to better understand depression. She published her insights in the Journal of Medical Ethics and is an active member of the Patient Advisory Council for the International Society of ECT and Neurostimulation.
Julie has been one of the most informed and active members of the Board of Southwestern Medical Foundation, encouraging the enhanced visibility of the Foundation and the work it supports through service on our Public Affairs committee. This important gift and Julie’s passionate work in helping to advance the science and treatment of depression has been the definition of community leadership in action.
Kathleen M. Gibson, President and CEO, Southwestern Medical Foundation
The Center’s vision is to eliminate the devastating effects of depression on millions of lives by replacing the current trial-and-error treatment approach with the use of personalized medicine. “There is an urgent need to identify brain, blood, and behavior-based diagnostic tests in order to improve early recognition,” said Dr. Trivedi, who holds the Betty Jo Hay Distinguished Chair in Mental Health. Dr. Trivedi received the 2015 American Psychiatric Association Award for Research, the Association’s most significant award for research.
According to Dr. Trivedi, the resulting tests could then be used to drive precision medicine for these conditions. Initially, clinical data will be collected from 2,000 individuals receiving treatment to identify biosignatures that can help predict outcomes.
Today, most people wait for a ‘Stage IV’ level of symptoms before seeking treatment for mental illness. Just as with breast cancer, most mental illness caught in an early phase and with the right treatment applied can be managed. Late reaction results in massive collateral damage – problems at work, familial strife, and even suicide. Dr. Trivedi and UT Southwestern are uniquely qualified to craft a more scientific approach for early detection and personalized treatment.
Julie Hersh
As one of the landmark projects of the Center, Dr. Trivedi also will initiate a project that will follow teens and young adults through high school, when they are most vulnerable, to identify mood management issues.
UT Southwestern researchers have successfully demonstrated the impact of therapies beyond medication, including exercise, psychotherapy, and brain stimulation. In addition, the Center will focus on the impact of depression on the recovery from other diseases, such as cancer, cardiac disease, and diabetes. The Center will capitalize on the need for a comprehensive approach that is focused on achieving sustained wellness.
The Center combines basic research, translational clinical research in genetics, functional brain imaging, and treatment research across the entire age span, with a special focus on treatment of resistant, chronic, or recurrent depressions – the most disabling form of the disorder.
“The Center will be built on the principles of scientific rigor, interdisciplinary collaboration, and open innovation, which already define UT Southwestern’s biomedical research and clinical programs,” Dr. Trivedi said. “With support from the Hersh Foundation, we can advance the frontiers of mood disorders research, swiftly translating scientific discovery into clinical practice, and soundly restoring the full resilience of living to those on the cusp of losing hope. I am particularly indebted to Julie Hersh for her amazing advocacy and unwavering support for the creation of this Center.”
Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky holds the Philip O’Bryan Montgomery, Jr., M.D. Distinguished Presidential Chair in Academic Administration, and the Doris and Bryan Wildenthal Distinguished Chair in Medical Science