Opening November 1, the new Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB) brings together an unmatched depth and breadth of expertise focused on understanding how young brains develop and applies that knowledge during the periods when the biggest difference can be made. MIDB’s mission is to advance brain health from the earliest stages of development across the lifespan, and to support each person’s journey as a valued community member.
“When MIDB opens, it will be home to University of Minnesota researchers, educators, M Health Fairview care providers, policy experts and community members who are working side by side to better understand how young brains develop and how we can pool resources, intellect, and our motivations to improve brain health across the lifespan for families right here in Minnesota,” said Damien Fair, Redleaf Endowed Director of MIDB and a professor at the U of M Medical School and College of Education and Human Development. “Our bold aspiration is that our curious, inspired, and strategic collaboration will allow us to better understand how to provide an optimal environment for all of our youth to maximize brain health so that every child is set up for success.”
As a land grant university, the mission of MIDB aims to:
- Lead in research and innovation to understand how the child’s rapidly developing brain grows and thrives.
- Educate and provide opportunities for scholars across intersecting disciplines to maximize each individual’s brain health in early childhood and adolescence.
- Collaborate and engage communities to quickly advance and apply findings to improve the health of local and global communities, working in partnership to ensure that social supports are available across the lifespan.
- Merge research with M Health Fairview clinical care to improve patient and families' experiences.
“MIDB is unique in that it is not dedicated to any one neurobehavioral disorder as most other centers are, but instead seeks to discover basic processes by which the brain develops. Through that approach, we can understand the root causes of many neurobehavioral disorders that affect our state’s children,” said Michael Georgieff, co-director of MIDB, professor at the U of M Medical School and College of Education and Human Development, and a neonatologist at M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital. “With support from our funders and collaborators, MIDB provides a one-stop setting for children and families by housing researchers, health care providers, educators and advocates together in one location where they can enhance each other’s knowledge with the goal of improving our children's future. We are excited for MIDB to open and support Minnesotans in a setting that is convenient, welcoming, and serene.”
Located on East River Parkway near the University’s Twin Cities campus, the 10.2-acre property includes a two-level building with a research center, clinic, and support area, as well as a community center and an attached parking lot. MIDB provides one location to connect world-renowned experts across the disciplines of neuroscience, brain imaging, bioengineering, genomics, pediatrics, psychology, psychiatry, disabilities, child health care policy and developmental brain health across the lifespan. It is a one-stop destination where diverse expertise comes together to accelerate discovery and improve brain health throughout life.
“We want MIDB to be a place where we think about how we can provide support to a child — whether it’s an infant or a 3-year-old we’re assessing for a developmental disability — and their family so that when this person is an adult, they have a great life,” said Institute on Community Integration director Amy Hewitt. The Institute on Community Integration’s work in applied community research, tele-outreach, interdisciplinary training, and community outreach is a valuable asset for the MIDB.
Led by the University’s Medical School and College of Education and Human Development, MIDB aims to address access to care and the hurdles individuals and their families encounter when seeking medical, educational, and community-based resources and support.
The development of MIDB, a first-of-its-kind institute in the country, was made possible by a $35 million naming gift from Minnesota Masonic Charities, $15 million from the Lynne & Andrew Redleaf Foundation (which also gave $6.5 million to related initiatives in psychiatry and child development), as well as generous investments by the Otto Bremer Trust, Blythe Brenden-Mann Foundation, and Drs. Gail A. Bernstein and Thomas J. Davis Trust.
“The Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain is another example of how we can unite the incredible expertise of the University with the capacity of Minnesota Masonry to benefit our entire state and, indeed, the world,” said Eric Neetenbeek, president and CEO of Minnesota Masonic Charities.
Housed in the Office of Academic Clinical Affairs, MIDB is an interdisciplinary institute that leads and brings together educators and researchers from across the University as well as M Health Fairview clinicians.
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Learn more about MIDB by reading this FAQ.
Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain
The Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB) is a one-stop clinic, research, and outreach location specializing in children and youth with neurobehavioral conditions. By bringing together University of Minnesota experts in pediatric medicine, research, policy and community supports to understand, prevent, diagnose, and treat neurodevelopmental disorders in early childhood and adolescence, MIDB advances brain health from the earliest stages of development across the lifespan, supporting each person’s journey as a valued community member.
Minnesota Masonic Charities’ philanthropic legacy at the U of M: With support from Minnesota Masons, the University built the 80-bed Masonic Memorial Hospital in 1958 and the Masonic Cancer Research Building in the mid-’90s. Minnesota Masonic Charities’ historic $65 million pledge in 2008 to name the Masonic Cancer Center continues to advance major research discoveries. A $10 million gift from the Masons built the Masonic Cancer Clinic, which provides premier cancer care in the M Health Fairview Clinics and Surgery Center on the Twin Cities campus. In addition, a $25 million gift made in 2014 to enhance pediatric research and care brought the Masons’ total giving to $125 million and led to the renaming of M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital. Now, with its latest gift of $35 million to establish and name the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, Minnesota Masonic Charities has contributed more than $160 million to the University of Minnesota to accelerate research discoveries in cancer and children’s health that will improve lives throughout Minnesota and beyond. Click here to view a timeline of giving and the relationship between MMC and the U of M.
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