New Penn State Mental Health Research Hub Launches

The hub partners faculty and students to create and test new mental health interventions for schools across Pennsylvania.

Updated on Oct. 29, 2026 in Mental Health

Isometric editorial illustration of an abstract academic research space with floating geometric shapes, symbolizing collaborative mental health intervention design. — Pennsylvania State University has launched the Learn to Flourish Design Hub, a collaborative initiative to research and test new mental health interventions for schools across Pennsylvania. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Do you trust university-led mental health programs to effectively reduce student anxiety and depression?

Pennsylvania State University established the Learn to Flourish Design Hub in November 2025 to research and develop mental health interventions. The hub focuses on fostering well-being and preventing adverse mental health outcomes through collaborations between faculty and students.

Why it matters

The initiative aims to promote human flourishing by translating research into practical tools for students, including recent efforts to adapt curriculum for high schools in the Pittsburgh area.

The hub was established with a $2 million gift to support interdisciplinary research into mental health prevention. Scientists are currently evaluating intervention effectiveness using survey items, self-reports, and physiological measures.

The players

Penn State

A public research university that houses the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center.

Blake Colaianne

The 38-year-old director of the Learn to Flourish Design Hub based in Latrobe.

Elise Mitchell

The 23-year-old research director for the hub residing in Lancaster.

Erik Borgia

A 21-year-old student from Philadelphia who participated in the university's flourishing coursework.

The details

The hub operates within the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center by pairing faculty and students to co-design and test mental health interventions. Their methodology integrates psychological assessment tools with physiological data to track changes in human flourishing. The program originally grew from a course on human flourishing developed in 2017, and it now conducts studies with student-athletes while expanding its reach to middle and high school students.

The human flourishing course was first developed in 2017.
Student Erik Borgia completed the flourishing course in Fall 2025.
The Learn to Flourish Design Hub was officially created in November 2025.

Health Landscape

The Learn to Flourish Design Hub operates as a specialized unit within the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center. This development signals a shift toward integrating student-led design into the broader, established framework of academic preventative mental health research.

Students and families in the Pittsburgh area may soon see these new mental health resources integrated into their high school curricula. If you are interested in how flourishing programs may benefit you, consider discussing available evidence-based well-being resources with a school counselor or physician.

The takeaway

Focusing on human flourishing is an emerging approach to preventing mental health decline by building proactive life skills. Individuals can support their own mental health by identifying and tracking personal stressors or consulting with a mental health professional to learn about evidence-based habits.