Penn State Launches Mental Health Design Hub
The Learn to Flourish Design Hub utilizes a $2 million gift to research and scale mental health intervention programs.
Updated on Oct. 29, 2026 in Mental Health
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Penn State established the Learn to Flourish Design Hub in November 2025 to develop and spread mental health interventions for students. The initiative operates within the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center with a focus on preventing adverse mental health outcomes.
Why it matters
The center aims to promote long-term human flourishing by leveraging collaborative research between faculty and students. It targets both university-level student-athletes and younger demographics to create scalable prevention tools.
The hub launched with a $2 million donation from Julie and Jason Borrelli. Research conducted at the facility utilizes a combination of survey items, self-reports, and physiological measures to track mental health outcomes.
The players
Penn State
This is a major public research university in Pennsylvania that hosts the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center.
Julie and Jason Borrelli
These donors provided the $2 million funding necessary to establish the new mental health research hub.
Blake Colaianne
He serves as the 38-year-old director of the newly established hub and resides in Latrobe.
Erik Borgia
He is a 21-year-old student from Philadelphia who participated in the university flourishing course.
Elise Mitchell
She is the 23-year-old research director based in Lancaster who works with the hub.
The details
Faculty and students at the hub co-design, test, and distribute intervention measures to address psychological well-being. The organization is currently adapting its existing human flourishing curriculum for use in high schools throughout the Pittsburgh area.
Timeline
A course on human flourishing was developed in 2017.
Student Erik Borgia took the flourishing course in the fall of 2025.
The Learn to Flourish Design Hub was created in November 2025.
Health Landscape
The Learn to Flourish Design Hub extends the existing research mission of the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center. This development signals a shift toward applied, co-designed mental health interventions rather than purely observational study.
Students and high schoolers in the Pittsburgh area may soon gain access to new, evidence-based mental health curriculum developed by the center. This research aims to provide practical coping mechanisms and preventative tools for daily use in educational environments.
The takeaway
The establishment of the hub demonstrates a growing focus on integrating student-led research into preventative health strategies. Implementing structured curriculum in schools can offer long-term support for young people facing mental health challenges.
Further reading
For more information on state-wide initiatives, visit Mental Health.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Daily Collegian.
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