There's never been a research effort like this in the history of mental health.
To save more lives, we must take bold and comprehensive steps to understand the root causes of mental illness.
The ultimate goal of SOAR is to close the gap between understanding and treatment.
A first-ever, multi-generational study that will uncover the biological, psychological and social patterns related to mental health. It will give us a playbook for understanding the causes and modifiable risk factors of mental illness, much like we already have for heart disease.
We must learn what we don’t know
Despite having some of the best addiction and mental health programs and experts in the country, Ohio (like the rest of the nation) continues to see alarming rates of deaths related to substance use and distress. Ohio loses 19 people each day to suicide and overdose, combined.
There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they're falling in.
– Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Nobel Peace Prize, 1984
Help change the world
Contact us for more information.
Wellness Survey
A survey assessment of the mental health of 15,000 Ohioans in all 88 counties
Brain Health Study
In-person visits with 1,200 families at rural, suburban, and urban sites across Ohio
Bringing science to the people
Special thanks to Governor Mike DeWine, the Ohio Legislature and Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) for providing critical funding to launch the SOAR Studies.
SOAR is led by The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Wexner Medical Center.
SOAR is proud of our establishing collaborators across Ohio.
- Bowling Green State University
- Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals-Cleveland
- Central State University
- Kent State University
- Nationwide Children’s Hospital
- NE Ohio Medical University
- Ohio University
- The Ohio State University
- University of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Children's Hospital
- University of Toledo
- Wright State University
