When Case Western Reserve University announced a $60 million investment for the new Sara and Curt Moll Institute for Mental Health and Well-Being, it marked a commitment to address and advance the growing mental health crisis within and beyond Northeast Ohio.
Now, Norah Feeny, a distinguished psychologist and renowned researcher in the field of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and trauma, will lead the effort as the Moll Institute’s inaugural executive director.
In her new position, Feeny, a professor of psychological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences and director of the PTSD Treatment and Research Program, further elevates Case Western Reserve as an international leader in clinical psychology training and practice-based research.
“The Moll Institute will provide critical research, training and resources to benefit the growing number of individuals living with mental illness as well as those who care for and support them,” Case Western Reserve President Eric W. Kaler said during the June 4 announcement to celebrate the start of construction work on a new space for the institute. “We are deeply grateful to Sara and Curt Moll for their commitment to improving lives and outcomes through better mental health care and we are so pleased that Norah Feeny will lead the institute’s efforts.”
Feeny’s pioneering work has spanned more than three decades in diverse clinical settings, including sexual-assault programs, substance-abuse programs and outpatient clinics. Her research evaluates treatments, examines predictors of treatment success and optimizes therapies for the local community in need. She has also led treatment trials addressing pediatric PTSD, depression and bipolar disorder in youth.
“Norah’s exceptional career and dedication to advancing mental-health solutions make her the ideal leader for the Moll Institute,” said Joy K. Ward, provost and executive vice president. “Her expertise and vision will be instrumental in positioning the institute as a global leader in addressing critical mental-health challenges.”
Growing mental-health crisis
The Moll Institute, supported through a transformative commitment from Sara and Curt Moll, with the balance covered by the university, will address the escalating mental-health crisis through innovative research, education, clinical collaboration and community outreach. It will also double the number of clinical faculty in psychology and expand PhD training programs for clinical psychologists to meet the growing demand for mental-health expertise.
The timing couldn’t be more appropriate—or needed.
- Two in five high school students nationally reported experiencing symptoms of depression—feeling so sad or hopeless daily for at least two straight weeks that they stopped doing some usual activities in the past 12 months, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- Half of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24, according to the National Alliance of Mental Health, citing the CDC and several published scientific studies.
“These are our loved ones, friends, co-workers and neighbors, many of whom never get the treatment they require,” Feeny said. “The Sara and Curt Moll Institute for Mental Health and Well-Being will begin to address this need in Northeast Ohio and beyond with the hiring of new clinical faculty, additional training opportunities for our clinical PhD students and community bridges and connections.”
About the Moll Institute
The Moll Institute opens this month in temporary space at 11635 Euclid Ave., which formerly housed the Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center. The institute’s permanent location in the Nursing Research Building, is scheduled to open in early summer 2027. That site was chosen for its location near key collaborators, including the university’s School of Medicine and local hospital networks.
