Our singular focus on cutting the global burden of depression in half is what makes our work different from traditional university research. Our core values serve as a guiding light for our thinking, approach and actions.
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Advancing the UCLA mission
UCLA’s primary purpose is the creation, dissemination, preservation and application of knowledge for the betterment of our global society. We best advance this mission through a focus on knowledge discovery and societal impact.
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Ensuring our efforts benefit all
We approach research, in terms of the questions we explore and the design of our projects, with the objective of understanding and accounting for the wide variety of factors influencing the 1) experience of depression and anxiety and 2) response to treatments. Our approach is in service of ensuring that investments made in our efforts benefit all.
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Partnering for success
Solving depression is a grand challenge requiring many minds and hands working in collaboration to meet our ambitious goal. Our work depends upon and is enriched and advanced through proactive partnership and collaboration across UCLA and with government funders, companies, foundations and scientists from institutions across the U.S. and internationally.
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Continuous evaluation and course correction
A grand challenge, by definition, requires the incorporation of high-risk, high-reward novel projects. We embody a start-up, entrepreneurial spirit that embraces rapid implementation with continuous evaluation, failing forward, iteration and course correction.
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Taking action
People and communities need solutions now. As we discover and create, we are committed to find a foothold for our work that addresses gaps in the understanding of depression causes, trajectories and treatments. We act as researchers, conveners, advocates and in some cases, implementers of new approaches. Cutting the global burden of depression requires that we be bold and transparent in our actions.