National Mental Health Non-Profit, One Mind, Awards $600,000 in Grants to Two "Rising Stars" in Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Greg Fonzo, UT Austin, and Kevin Beier, UC Irvine

RUTHERFORD, Calif., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- National mental health and brain research non-profit, One Mind announced the award of a combined total of $600,000 to the two winners of its 2020 One Mind Rising Star Awards, Gregory A. Fonzo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, and Kevin T. Beier, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine.

Now in its 16th year, the Rising Star Awards support early career researchers in their investigation into neuropsychiatric disorders. Drs. Fonzo and Beier will each receive $300,000 in research support and will present their projects at the 26^th Annual One Mind Music (virtual) Festival for Brain Health and Scientific Symposium, Saturday, September 12, 2020.

"One Mind is delighted to recognize and help fast-track the promising research and innovative methods that Dr. Beier and Dr. Fonzo bring to the investigation of the neurological basis of major psychiatric illnesses," said Brandon Staglin, president of One Mind. "At a moment when mental health issues loom large for so many impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, research that will produce effective treatments is more critical than ever, and we're proud to support."

Dr. Fonzo is the recipient of the inaugural One Mind Baszucki Brain Research Fund Rising Star Award, which aims to grow the field of bipolar disorder research. Dr. Fonzo's research will investigate the potential for focused ultrasound to influence the circuitry of the brain and develop treatment tools for bipolar and other mood disorders. With the award, he will continue to investigate predictors of first-line psychiatric treatment response.

Dr. Beier is the recipient of the 2020 One Mind Janssen Rising Star Award in Memory of Jeffrey S. Nye, a Johnson & Johnson neuroscience researcher who passed away in 2017. Dr. Beier's research maps neural circuitry associated with depression vulnerability. The extension of this work will be to develop focused therapeutic strategies to treat depression, as well as to help identify those at risk for developing this disorder.  To support his research, Beier will also receive a One Mind/Inscopix Technology Grant, which includes a state-of-the-art nVoke miniature microscope system, along with training and support for using the system.

This year's Rising Star Awards are sponsored by Janssen Research & Development LLC, and the Baszucki Brain Research Fund; since 2005, the One Mind Rising Star Awards have conferred a total of $9 million in research grants to 36 early-career neurology and psychiatry researchers. The awards are designed to catalyze innovation in the field by awarding novel approaches along with fostering greater collaboration among research teams. 

In addition, One Mind announced the five winners of its inaugural One Mind Bipolar Research Awards for advancement in the understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder. Each of the five recipients will receive $20,000, thanks to additional financial support from the Baszucki Brain Research Fund.

Awardees include: Hirofumi Morishita, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City; Paulo Lizano, Ph.D., M.D., instructor, Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Ivy F. Tso, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School; Nolan Williams, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and director, Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab; and Alexander Urban, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry and Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine.

The recipients of the 2020 One Mind Rising Star Awards and the One Mind Bipolar Research Awards were selected with the assistance and recommendations of the ten-member One Mind Scientific Advisory Board, which includes leading brain scientists, noted for their pioneering research in their respective fields.

For more information about One Mind's Rising Star Awards, or to learn about the organization's many initiatives, visit www.OneMind.org.

About One Mind

Launched in 1995 by Shari and Garen Staglin as their means to "run toward the problem" of their son's schizophrenia diagnosis, One Mind is today a leading mental health non-profit that heals lives by direct support for neuropsychiatric brain research. By convening the brightest minds in brain science and advocacy around a collective vision of "Accelerating Brain Health for All," One Mind is advancing a three-pronged program strategy: accelerating discoveries, improving services and transforming culture. Through such achievements as enrolling over 10,000 patients in innovative clinical studies and the One Mind at Work initiative that has brought supportive workplace mental health practices to over 6 million employees, One Mind is creating a world where all facing brain health challenges can build healthy, productive lives. Brandon Staglin, whose own experiences triggered the creation of the non-profit, now serves as its President, exemplifying the change One Mind seeks in its disruptive research and workplace initiatives.

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Janssen Research & Development, a longtime One Mind research partner, is part of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

Baszucki Brain Research Fund is supported by San Mateo philanthropists David Baszucki and Jan Ellison Baszucki.

Inscopix has developed technology that is empowering breakthroughs in neuroscience, with the vision to drive new treatments to dramatically improve the health and well-being of people suffering from debilitating brain and nervous system disorders. The Inscopix platform and data will enable advances in conditions including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, psychiatric disorders, chronic pain, and addiction.

SOURCE One Mind