IU names first leader for Institute for Human Health and Wellbeing
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A leading researcher in the neuroscience of addiction has been named the inaugural executive director of the Institute for Human Health and Wellbeing at IU Indianapolis.
Stephen Boehm is a professor at IU Indianapolis, chairman of the department of psychology and a primary faculty member in the Stark Neurosciences Research Institute.
IU Indianapolis Chancellor Latha Ramchand said in a news release that Boehm’s expertise “positions him well to provide leadership and vision that will foster transformative research and collaboration with central Indiana’s life sciences community and result in the improved health and well-being of all Hoosiers.”
The Institute for Human Health and Wellbeing at IU Indianapolis is part of a $250 million initiative announced last fall to advance discoveries aimed at treating diseases and improving human health and expanding life sciences research and discovery. The cornerstones of the initiative are two new research institutes: the Institute for Human Health and Wellbeing and the Convergent Bioscience and Technology Institute.
In May, the university named former University of Cincinnati research professor Chia-Ying “James” Lin as the executive director of the bioscience institute, Inside INdiana Business reported.
Boehm has been with IU Indianapolis since 2009. His research lab focuses on the brain and behavioral impacts of binge alcohol drinking and opioid and cannabis use, and he has received more than $5.75 million in grants to advance his work, the university said in its news release.
“I am deeply excited about this opportunity to drive innovative research, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and engage with industry and community partners across Indiana to make a meaningful impact on public health in Indiana and beyond,” Boehm said in the news release. “The broader mission of the institute is to address some of the most pressing health challenges of our time, and I am eager to work alongside my colleagues at IU to advance this important work.”
Among the institute’s goals, the university said, is the pursuit of research focused on health equity and the use of artificial intelligence to support the screening and detection of chronic diseases.