Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center

Children's Mental Health Research

At Bradley Hospital and Hasbro Children’s, our role as leaders in child mental health research stretches back more than 75 years. As a field of scientific investigation, you could say that pediatric psychopharmacology began at Bradley Hospital, with the 1937 publication of the results of stimulant trials in children. 

We have continued a long tradition of taking our valuable clinical research and applying it directly to our mission of improving the lives of children and their families. Today, for example, our pioneering research groups study children’s sleep, infant development, psychophysiology, risk prevention, behavioral health promotion, and specific disorders such as anxiety, depression, and OCD. This work has translated into new and effective treatments and strategies for children and their families. 

Since 2002, the majority of the child mental and behavioral health researchers have been in one location at the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center (BHCRC) in Providence (see below). Having most researchers from both hospitals at one site has promoted collaboration among research groups and maximized our impact on our field.  Our research interests and projects have continued to grow. Approximately 50 BHCRC investigators direct over 100 externally funded projects. Grant support is extensive: awards to the BHCRC average over $30 million each year, and the total grant awards for all years of currently active projects averages $110 million.

Training the Next Generation of Investigators

Our commitment to training the next generation of researchers runs deep. Research training in child mental health at Bradley Hospital, Hasbro Children’s and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health since 1994 and has continued to expand. Today, we are known as one of the nation’s premier child mental and behavioral health research training sites. Our highly successful, NIH-supported research training programs for PhD and MD trainees are producing the next generation of young investigators.

Leading the Nation in Clinical Research

Our investigators continually seek answers to the most important questions in the realm of child development and child mental and behavioral health. We explore new insights into the genetic roots of autism and the psychobiology of depression. We are developing and testing the latest therapeutic approaches to more effectively treat depression; create effective therapies for OCD; devise effective prevention strategies for adolescent risks such as suicide and substance use; strengthen families coping with illness and trauma; and much more. Every day, we generate new projects, test new therapies, and challenge conventional wisdom in new ways—all with the single aim of helping children develop into healthy adults.