External Council of Scientific Advisors

IMHR holds two research competitions per year to support small seed projects ($25K to $50K) or somewhat larger early stage multi-disciplinary efforts (up to $125K) that have the potential to result in more extensive support from national public (e.g. NIH) or foundation sources. To this end, IMHR consults with renowned mental health scientists (half of whom are AZ-based scientists, and half, scientists from outside the state) who serve on the IMHR External Council of Scientific Advisors (ECSA). These experts work with the Chief Science Officer and the Research and Grants Committee of the IMHR Board to help review grant applications at each cycle, provide advice to the IMHR Board about potential priorities for mental health research support, and participate in an annual collaborative conference with supported IMHR investigators. 

ECSA 2024

Frederic C. Blow, PhD
Professor of Psychiatry and Director, UM Addiction Center
Director, Michigan Mental Health Integration Program, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan 

Fabian Fernandez, PhD
Assistant Professor, Cognition/Neural Systems
Director, Light Algorithms Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona

Marlene Freeman, MD
Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital
Associate Director, Ammon-Pinizzotto Center for Women’s Mental Health
Medical Director, CTNI 

Gerry Koocher, PhD
Lecturer, Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Boston Children’s Hospital
Faculty, Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics

Lisa Spanierman, PhD 
Professor and Faculty Head, Counseling and Counseling Psychology
College of Integrative Arts and Sciences, Arizona State University

For more information about IMHR grants and review processes, contact Keith Crnic, PhD, IMHR Chief Science Officer, through operations@imhr.org.