Northwestern Medicine is betting big on bipolar care in downtown Chicago, launching a new institute backed by a $25 million gift from Kent and Liz Dauten and the Dauten Family Foundation.
The new Dauten Behavioral Health Institute will sit on Northwestern’s downtown Chicago campus and is designed to pull clinical care, emergency psychiatry and research into one coordinated hub. Health system leaders say the institute will recruit top scientific and clinical leadership, expand clinical programs and invest in measurement technology intended to sharpen screening and improve care coordination across the system.
According to Crain's Chicago Business, the Dautens’ $25 million gift will bankroll a clinical research and patient outcomes registry and an innovation fund aimed at moving promising new treatments into real-world practice more quickly. Northwestern Medicine officials describe the effort as a system-wide platform to coordinate behavioral health services and to improve bipolar disorder screening in both emergency departments and outpatient clinics. The new entity will carry the name Dauten Behavioral Health Institute.
Dr. Sachin Patel called bipolar disorder one of the more difficult illnesses to treat, with biology that is still largely unknown and treatment options that remain limited, according to Crain's Chicago Business. Northwestern Medicine President and CEO Dr. Howard Chrisman described the gift as “a turning point,” the outlet reported. Early programs at the institute are expected to focus on emergency psychiatry, peer support and employment services for patients.
About the Dautens and their bipolar philanthropy
Kent and Liz Dauten have been writing checks for bipolar research long before this latest Chicago investment. They were key backers in launching the Dauten Family Center for Bipolar Treatment Innovation at Massachusetts General Hospital, according to Massachusetts General Hospital. Their giving has also gone toward seed grants and national collaborations that are intended to speed up discovery and the development of new treatments for bipolar disorder.
What this could mean for Chicago patients
Hospital leaders say the goal is to tighten the often-wide gap between cutting edge research and what patients actually experience in clinics and emergency rooms. They point to practical measurement tools for clinicians and tighter coordination between emergency and outpatient services as key pieces of the plan. If the institute delivers as advertised, the combination of a registry, innovation fund and expanded clinical teams could reduce barriers to specialty care for people living with bipolar disorder in the Chicago area.
Next steps
Over the next year, Northwestern plans to recruit scientific and clinical leaders for the institute and move quickly to build out clinical programs on its downtown campus, officials said. Kent Dauten is chair of the Dauten Family Foundation and a longtime Chicago investor who co founded Keystone Capital and Madison Dearborn Partners, according to his profile at the Milken Institute.
