Published: June 18, 2020 • By Chris Yankee

Starting on June 30, five University of Colorado Boulder researchers will be featured in the University of Colorado Anschutz-led Mind the Brain podcast series. The combining of expertise from both campuses, led by the CU Anschutz Department of Psychiatry and CU Boulder’s Renée Crown Wellness Institute, is just the latest example of increasing collaboration between faculty and researchers at the two campuses.

About the podcast series

Mind the Brain, a weekly series featuring CU Anschutz faculty experts on mental health topics in the time of COVID-19, will include CU Boulder experts during five podcasts this summer:

  • June 30: Sona Dimidjian, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Director of the Renée Crown Wellness Institute, will discuss depression- and wellness-related topics
  • July 7: Joanna Arch, Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, will address anxiety and serious medical ilness
  • July 14: Kenneth P. Wright, Professor of Integrative Physiology, will cover sleep-related topics
  • July 21: Roselinde Kaiser, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience will talk about depression and brain development among youth
  • July 28: Christopher A. Lowry, Associate Professor of Integrative Physiology, will explore diet, microbiome and mental health-related topics

Each Tuesday, CU Anschutz distributes by email a new article and podcast focused on a unique topic written by an expert on mental health and COVID-19. Episodes typically run about 20 minutes each and are hosted by C. Neill Epperson, MD, the Robert Freedman Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Following the initial airing of each episode, the articles and podcasts are made available on the CU Anschutz Department of Psychiatry website.

Register for the podcast or learn more by subscribing to the Mind the Brain series.

Collaborative efforts dubbed the “AB Nexus”

Leadership at the Anschutz and Boulder campuses and the University of Colorado President’s Initiative earlier this year started an initiative to provide support for integrated services and projects across the campuses that focus on research development activities and administrative improvements. By expanding research collaborations between the university’s Anschutz and Boulder campuses, the “AB Nexus” aims to generate knowledge that improves human health and spurs innovation and economic development.

In addition to joining forces for the Mind the Brain series, early wins for the campuses already underway include a new seed grant program that will be announced this fall. Future efforts will focus on identifying and connecting potential collaborators, expanding funding opportunities on both campuses and developing other resources to make collaborations more seamless and powerful.