UM receives $10.75M from couple for depression work

A Bloomfield Hills couple has donated $10.75 million to the University of Michigan to fund personalized treatments for depression, bipolar disorder and related illnesses.

University of Michigan alumni Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg gave the school the gift to enhance efforts to test and research treatment options for the illnesses.

Researchers at the UM Depression Center have spent more than 15 years looking for ways to fight depression and bipolar disorder.

The U-M Depression Center, the world’s first comprehensive center created to fight depression, has inspired the development of 32 more depression centers across the United States and Canada.

“It is time to put our energy and resources into finding solutions for depression,” Kenneth Eisenberg said in a statement. “Everyone has been touched by a loved one or friend affected by mental illness. Our family’s goal is to remove the stigma associated with this disease and to provide the necessary financial support to assure that meaningful treatment is accessible.”

The donation from the Eisenberg family will go toward research projects focused on understanding the causes of depression; the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Professorship of Depression and Neurosciences; create the Eisenberg Collaborative Innovations Fund to support community outreach and partnerships; and establish the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Emerging Scholar Award for early career research.

“We are so grateful for the generosity of the Eisenberg family and applaud their leadership and vision,” said Gregory Dalack, chair of the Department of Psychiatry. “Their gift will help us advance the science and treatment of these debilitating illnesses and combat the ignorance and stigma that prevent so many from seeking help.”

nterry@detroitnews.com

@NicquelTerry