University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children’s part of statewide mental health research initiative
SOAR Study to identify risk and resiliency factors to improve behavioral health outcomes
The University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital are part of a collaborative research initiative designed to identify contributors to the ongoing epidemic of persistent emotional distress, suicide and drug overdose in the state of Ohio.
The SOAR Study investigates the role of underlying biological, psychological and social factors.
The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is funding this statewide research project with an initial $20 million grant. Like other areas of the country, Ohio has seen a rise in mental illness, suicide and deaths related to drug overdose over the past decade, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these problems.
“The causes of these diseases remain largely a mystery to clinical experts and the public,” said LeeAnne Cornyn, director of OhioMHAS. “The SOAR Study has the potential to help future generations better understand risk factors, effective mitigation strategies and techniques to build resiliency — in short, the study has the potential to curb disease and save lives.”
SOAR is studying Ohioans in their local communities, using an integrated “bring science to the people” approach. It is creating a statewide medical research and development ecosystem to drive continued advances in mental health, substance use prevention and treatment interventions.
The SOAR Study has two parallel but connected projects.
Better understanding biomarkers of risk and resilience among Cincinnatians is in line with our department’s vision to advance the understanding and treatment of psychiatric disorders.
Cal Adler, MD
Focusing on breadth, the SOAR Wellness Discovery Survey is engaging as many as 15,000 people across all 88 Ohio counties. Researchers want to uncover how strengths and skills may be related to overcoming adversity. Those strengths will inform researchers about which factors to focus on to develop new treatments. This portion is underway, with more than 300,000 postcards mailed out to residents statewide.
Focusing on depth, the SOAR Brain Health Study will comprehensively study as many as 3,600 Ohioans in family groups to examine the biological, psychological and social factors that help explain response to adversity, with longer-term goals of personalizing individual care.
The SOAR Study will engage a multidisciplinary team of experts from UC and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Ohio State University, Bowling Green State University, Central State University, Kent State University, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Case Western/University Hospital-Cleveland, Ohio University, University of Toledo and Wright State University.
Cal Adler, MD. Photo/University of Cincinnati.
Faculty and staff in UC’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience will enroll approximately 500 Ohioans who will complete study procedures such as MRIs, EEGs, neuropsychological assessments, biospecimen collection and questionnaires.
“Better understanding biomarkers of risk and resilience among Cincinnatians is in line with our department’s vision to advance the understanding and treatment of psychiatric disorders,” said Cal Adler, MD, professor, vice chair of research, co-director of the Division of Bipolar Disorders Research, director of the Center for Imaging Research in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at UC’s College of Medicine and a UC Health physician. “We have already begun to enroll Ohio families and anticipate engaging over 200 participants over the next year.”
“This important SOAR Study builds on our long-standing academic health mission, and we are proud to champion this vital research to help all Ohioans,” said John J. Warner, MD, chief executive officer at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and executive vice president at Ohio State. “Mental health care is health care, and this study will help us inform prevention and treatment strategies to advance patient-centered care and influence the way we train our future care providers.”
Leaders of the study say SOAR aims to do for addiction, mental illness and mental health what Framingham Heart Study researchers did for heart disease and heart health. Launched in 1948, the multigenerational Framingham Heart Study has enrolled more than 15,000 study participants over 75 years, resulting in major life-saving advancements about heart disease risk factors.
“Our approach with the SOAR Study will allow us to identify the factors that can be modified to reduce risk and build resilience,” said SOAR Study principal investigator K. Luan Phan, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Ohio State. “We won't be able to ‘bend the curve’ on the growing number of deaths of despair, such as those from addiction and suicide, until we go upstream to better understand their etiology. SOAR is the first statewide, multigenerational comprehensive study in the nation that will offer a new roadmap for developing better treatments and cures that will improve and save lives.”
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If you are interested in participating in this study, please reach out to the UC study coordinator, Rachel, at 513-558-5319.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
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