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The Boonshoft Schizophrenia Center was established in 2001 as a part of the Wallace-Kettering Neuroscience Institute, thanks to the generous contributions of the Boonshoft family. The goal since its inception has been to contribute to research on schizophrenia, a devastating chronic mental illness that is often difficult to treat, and other schizophrenia spectrum disorders. These devastating chronic mental illnesses place a disproportionate burden on both the sufferers and society, when compared to other chronic diseases. The Schizophrenia Center, utilizing the collaborative resources of the Kettering Health Network and its affiliate institutions - including Wright State University, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, the University of Wisconsin and others - has led efforts to explore brain anomalies associated with development of schizophrenia, as well as research aimed at optimizing the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy:

• The "Best Event" (BEST) study, started in 2005, aims to provide an alternative to "trial and error" when choosing a medication for a specific patient. The BEST protocol utilizes imaging (MRI, PET), cognitive testing and pharmacogenetic data. It is hoped that this research will identify a path towards data-guided pharmacotherapy for more accurate and effective treatment.
  
  
• The Schizophrenia Center was recently invited to join six other U.S. centers in an NIH-funded effort to build a very large repository of genetic material that scientists around the world will use to further understand the genetic profile of this debilitating disorder.