The University of Utah hopes to become a national leader in mental health delivery with a $150 million gift from the Huntsman family to establish a new institute.
The major gift will create the Huntsman Mental Health Institute to bolster the existing University Neuropsychiatric Institute and psychiatry department with a focus on improving public awareness of mental illness, research into genetic causes, and access — especially for college-age and rural patients, said university President Ruth Watkins.
"This is transformative for the university, for the state, and can serve as a model for others as well," Watkins said.