Our Mission…

…To solve the mystery of such brain disorders as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, autism, addiction, and Alzheimer’s through scientific research on genetic and environmental causes

About Gray Matters at Columbia

Gray Matters at Columbia is a research fellowship fund within Columbia University Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry under the leadership of Chairman Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD.  Each spring the Gray Matters at Columbia Fellowship is awarded to a young scientist exhibiting outstanding performance in the genetics of brain disorders.  The chosen fellow benefits from the multidisciplinary expertise of a peerless team of clinicians and scientists that includes two Nobel laureates. Gray Matters at Columbia was inspired by a mother who lost her son to suicide after a long and difficult struggle with schizophrenia, and is a memorial to those who have been lost and a sign of hope to all who struggle with brain disorders.

Spring Benefit Luncheon

On April 25, 2012, Academy Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow was honored at the annual Gray Matters at Columbia Spring Benefit Luncheon for raising awareness about postpartum depression and women’s mental health.

Nearly one in four women experience depression after giving birth. For many of these mothers, postpartum depression is often left unrecognized or untreated, but clinicians and advocates are working to make people aware that there is help for women. Ms. Paltrow, mother of two young children, has shared her own personal experience with great honesty and eloquence with numerous media outlets, becoming an advocate for women’s mental health.

Each year, Gray Matters at Columbia honors an individual who has made significant contributions to promote brain research on mental illness. Past honorees at the Spring Benefit Luncheon include Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Paula Zahn, Anne Ford, Jane Pauley and Dick Cavett.

Get Involved

Gray Matters at Columbia exists as a result of the kindness, compassion, and generosity of its donors.

We encourage donors to get involved and see the impact of their contributions.   We invite you to visit and meet the scientists in person and hear directly from them about the current research projects and progress being made in treating brain disorders. 

Learn about the process of scientific discovery.  See PET, MRI, and CAT scans.  Find out how and why brain imaging often gives scientists the answers they seek and what role DNA samples play.  Discover how these leading edge scientists summarize the findings that lead to a better understanding of illness, treatment, and cures.

Find out how this research brings hope, eases the day-to-day coping ability of those who struggle with brain disorders, and gives freedom to some who might otherwise be a prisoner to their illness.

Memorialize a special someone lost to mental illness.  A donation made in a loved one’s name often helps families transcend their loss through the knowledge that they are helping someone else.

Giving Is Easy

To make a contribution, please click on the link above or contact Natasha Requeña:  212-304-7224 or nr2332@columbia.edu

Content compiled by Annette Swanstrom.