AI Meets Mental Health with New Global Research Hub Partnership

By Office of the President | Apr 22, 2025

Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced that Downstate is one of eight SUNY campuses selected to receive state funding to develop new academic departments, centers, and institutes focused on Artificial Intelligence and Society. At Downstate, this seed funding has jumpstarted the Global Center for AI, Society, and Mental Health (GCAISMH) launch—a collaborative initiative with the University at Albany and the Health Innovation Exchange.

With this new support, Downstate is expanding its footprint in artificial intelligence research, education, and community outreach, focusing on improving mental health care. The center is working to develop AI-driven tools for preventing, diagnosing, and treating mental health and brain disorders. High on the priority list: creating multidisciplinary, science-backed solutions to address the global mental health crisis, especially in underserved communities. The team trains students and early-career professionals and engages the public through outreach and education.

At Downstate, David Christini, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Research and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies founded the center, which is co-directed by Salvador Dura-Bernal, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology. The center also includes a team of 27 affiliated faculty at Downstate whose expertise spans psychiatry, neuroscience, genomics, psychology, and public health.

The center’s work focuses on three main areas:

1. Using generative AI models to support mental health
2. Developing “digital twins” of the brain to personalize care using wearable and clinical data
3. Building safe, ethical, and inclusive AI tools

Projects already underway include AI-powered mental health models tailored for schizophrenia and epilepsy and a generative chatbot designed to support people in disaster situations.

Collaboration is key to the center’s mission. GCAISMH is building a global network of partners across sectors and disciplines, including:

• Tech and AI leaders like IBM, Google, Microsoft AI for Health, and NVIDIA
• Humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross, Team Rubicon, and HEART 9/11
• Universities and research institutes around the world, including Yale University; University of California, San Diego; the Milan Center for Neuroscience in Italy; Linköping University in Sweden; the Institute of Cybernetics and Society in Spain; the Balseiro Research Institute in Argentina; and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.

These partnerships open doors to larger data sets, expand research capabilities and make applying AI tools easier in real-world mental health settings—particularly in communities with limited resources.

In three months, the Center made substantial early progress—installing a high-performance computing cluster at Downstate to support AI- and data-driven research, launching several multidisciplinary projects, and developing an advanced certificate program in AI, Society, and Mental Health.

This momentum positions Downstate as a leader in interdisciplinary AI research focused on public impact. As the Global Center for AI, Society, and Mental Health grows, it will serve as a dynamic hub for innovation, collaboration, and education, advancing real-world solutions for people affected by mental health conditions.