The Huntsman Mental Health Institute at the University of Utah is celebrating two landmark anniversaries in 2026, marking 40 years of providing evidence-based mental health care and five years since its formal dedication, according to a September 22 statement. The institute's recent growth was made possible by a $150 million gift from the Huntsman Family Foundation.
The institution's history includes a 1986 partnership between Psychiatric Institutes of America and the University of Utah Department of Psychiatry to open the Western Institute of Neuropsychiatry (WIN) at 501 Chipeta Way. This was one of the first public-private collaborations for mental health care in the nation. In 1994, the University of Utah acquired the facility and established the University Neuropsychiatric Institute (UNI).
The institute has implemented several nationally recognized programs, including Utah's statewide crisis system and the SafeUT crisis support platform. Its services include adolescent assessment and treatment, integrated behavioral health in primary care, specialized care for older adults, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. It also provides youth residential treatment and intensive outpatient programs for patients across the lifespan.
A major transformation occurred in 2019 when the Huntsman Family Foundation announced the $150 million gift. By January 2021, UNI officially became the Huntsman Mental Health Institute to unite clinical care, research, education, and community engagement. James Ashworth, MD, serving as interim chair of the Department of Psychiatry and the institute’s psychiatric medical director, stated that clinicians and staff have worked for decades to expand access to care and train new providers.
The institute serves as an academic mental health center providing inpatient, outpatient, crisis, community, and specialty care for individuals of all ages across the Mountain West. W. Brett Graham, MBA, MPA, the institute president, stated that the institute is working with the University of Utah and the State of Utah to drive innovation and expand access to research-supported care. The institute also welcomes Laura B. Dunn, MD, as the incoming chair of the Department of Psychiatry.
Dave Eldredge, LCSW, the chief administrative officer, noted that the milestone allows the institute to recognize the leaders and clinical teams that established the foundation for its success in research and education.
