News

The Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg and Family Depression Center has announced the recipients of its 2025 Impact Grants, awarding more than $451,000 to University of Michigan scholars who are dedicated to advancing our understanding of depressive illness. 

“Tackling complex challenges like depression and mental health demands collaboration—often spanning multiple disciplines,” said Srijan Sen, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Eisenberg Family Depression Center. “These grants will empower researchers across the University to work together, accelerating scientific discoveries that will improve how we understand, treat, and prevent depression and related mental health conditions.”

Impact Grants help fund bold, transformative research ideas that have the potential to advance our understanding of depression through innovation and collaboration. Researchers were encouraged to propose novel questions and innovative projects that are high-risk and high-reward, offering the potential for high-impact breakthroughs.

The program received nearly 30 letters of intent this year. After a rigorous selection process, five projects were selected to receive funding. The 2025 Impact Grant recipients include:  

John F. Greden, M.D., Legacy Research Award: $100,000

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  Principal investigator: Sari Reisner, Sc.D., M.A., associate professor, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health

• Project title: "TransHealthGUIDE—Transforming Mental Health for Transgender and Gender Diverse Young Adults Using Interventions to Drive Equity: A Hybrid Type 1 Effectiveness-Implementation Study"
• Description: This project will test whether a new digital app called TransHealthGUIDE can help reduce suicidality and depression in transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse (TGD) young adults. The app was created over three years in collaboration with TGD communities and families, and provides psychosocial support and education to address mental health disparities in this population. The project also incorporates an implementation process evaluation to gather lessons learned for a potentially scalable national model for TGD young adult mental health support.

Rachel Upjohn Clinical Scholars Award: $100,000 

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  Multiple principal investigators: Annelise Madison, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Psychology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; and Muneesh Tewari, M.D., Ph.D., Ray and Ruth Anderson-Laurence M. Sprague Memorial Research Professor, professor, Department of Internal Medicine, and associate division chief of basic research, Medical School, and professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Medical School and College of Engineering

• Project title: "Targeting Inflammation and Depression in Cancer Patients Receiving CAR-T cell Immunotherapy"

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  Description: Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy is a groundbreaking treatment for lymphoma and other cancers, but it often causes serious side effects, including intense inflammation known as cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and high rates of depression. This project will look at how stress, coping, and other psychological and behavioral factors influence the development of both CRS and depression in patients receiving CAR-T cell therapy, and will test whether simple, low burden mind–body strategies (such as mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral tools, and biofeedback) are feasible and acceptable to patients, and have the potential to prevent CRS and depression. By following patients closely through daily check-ins, wearable sensors, and blood-based immune markers, this study aims to develop approaches that help patients feel better emotionally and physically and prevent the occurrence of depression as they go through this intensive cancer treatment.

Eisenberg Translational Research Award: $70,000

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Principal investigator: Rada Mihalcea, Ph.D., professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering 

Project title: "Simulating Depression Experiences with Large Language Models" 

Description: This project aims to build on recent progress in large language models and develop an AI model that can simulate depressive language and experiences, with the goals of creating a model that accurately captures the language and experiences of individuals with depression at various stages, and evaluating the simulation's realism and effectiveness to ensure it can serve as a valuable tool for counselor training.

Oscar Stern Award for Depression Research: $99,180 

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Principal investigator: Hala Darwish, Ph.D., RN, associate professor, Department of Systems, Populations, and Leadership, School of Nursing

Project title: "Virtual Reality Nature Immersion to Reduce Depression in People Engaged in Intensive Outpatient Alcohol Treatment"

Description: This pilot study investigates the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of immersive virtual reality nature experiences as an adjunctive treatment to reduce depression symptoms among adults undergoing intensive outpatient treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD). It addresses barriers in AUD recovery by targeting co-occurring depression through an innovative, technology-driven intervention.

Eisenberg Impact Award: $82,240

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Principal investigator: Lynae Darbes, Ph.D., professor, Department of Health Behavior and Clinical Sciences, School of Nursing

Project title: "Developing a couples-based intervention to improve depression and HIV-related outcomes in South Africa"

Description: In sub-Saharan Africa, great strides have been made in stemming the HIV epidemic. However, depression has been found to negatively impact health outcomes for people living with HIV. Recent work has demonstrated that using cognitive behavioral therapy is successful for improving both depression and adherence to HIV medication for individuals. Concurrently, couples-based approaches have been shown to improve HIV-related treatment outcomes. We are proposing to develop a couples-based intervention focused on reducing depression symptoms and improving adherence for people living with HIV. We will combine two evidence-based approaches that have been developed by our team and implemented in South Africa. Our goal is to exert a positive influence on both depression and HIV-related outcomes for couples coping with these issues.

Apply for an Impact Grant 

The submission period for the next round of Impact Grants will be announced in spring 2026. A streamlined application process makes it easy for investigators to get started. Learn more about the program.

Supporting high-impact mental health research

Impact Grants are made possible through funding provided by generous donors. Learn more about how you can support mental health research at the Eisenberg Family Depression Center.