
Research
The work of research is one of the missions of the Department, Medical School, and University of Minnesota. Faculty in the Department support research by leading grant funded studies, collaborating with researchers, informing patients of studies, and supporting learners in their understanding of research. Faculty who lead research could be responsible for studies that investigate basic science questions, animal models, or human subject inquiries. These teams may have laboratories located in a variety of sites on campus.
The mental health research conducted within the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences aspires to improve and discover effective treatments and interventions to alleviate the suffering of mental illness. That’s why it is essential to continue to concentrate our research efforts in the areas of:
- Neuroscience – understanding what goes wrong in the brain in mental illness
- Behavioral science – understanding the human action and behavior in society
- Genetics – the makeup and phenomena of a human being.
Research Council
As an advisory body for the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, the Research Council has responsibility to recommend, review and prioritize initiatives and mechanisms to develop, promote and ethically administer the strategic research mission of the Department. With this charge, the Research Council will focus on protecting voluntary participants while nurturing discovery and the advancement of a knowledge driven, robust and ethical research program.
Research Core
This multifaceted team is responsible for overseeing and managing research within the department in consultation with the Research Council and in coordination with the Fairview Research Administration.
Research Core provides:
- Quality assurance in the form of support to and monitoring of research studies; overseeing onboarding, management, training, and offboarding of research staff and volunteers; and research space and facilities management (ARC, Cold Storage Room, facilitates MIDB research space); and
- Research administration in the form of pre- and post-award grants and contracts support; research agreements (i.e., Data Use Agreement); and management of research ancillary services associated with PHI and/or Good Clinical Practices (i.e., ClinCard, TigerConnect) or department-level research contracts (i.e., MINI 7).
Clinical Neuroscience Administrative Center (CNC)
The Clinical Neuroscience Administrative Center (CNC) supports budget preparation, pre-award management, post award finances, and effort reconciliation. Researchers are assigned accountants to support their grants.
Resources
Did you know that mental illness is the leading cause of disability?
Faculty and Staff

Kelvin Lim, MD
Director of Research for the Adult Division
kolim@umn.edu

Jeff Wozniak, PhD, LP
Director of Research for the Child & Adolescent Division
jwozniak@umn.edu

Marinda Bland
Research Administrator
blan0181@umn.edu

Song Burkhart
Research Administration Assistant
sburkhar@umn.edu

Michael Peterson
Research Support & Compliance Manager
pete8738@umn.edu

Jolene See
Grants and Contracts Specialist
seexx040@umn.edu