S2E5 Garen Staglin: Changing the Course of Mental Illness through Philanthropy and Partnerships

In this episode of Let’s Talk About That, Anirvan Ghosh speaks with Garen Staglin, a leader who has brought together personal experience, philanthropy, and investment to fundamentally change how we approach mental health.Garen’s journey into brain health advocacy began in 1990, after his son Brandon experienced a psychotic break and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. What followed was not withdrawal or silence, but action. Together with his wife Shari, Garen chose to confront stigma head-on—transforming their family’s experience into a sustained effort to accelerate research, improve early diagnosis, and build systems that help people live full, productive lives.The conversation explores the creation and evolution of One Mind, which has raised more than $700 million to support collaborative neuroscience research, early-career scientists, and large-scale initiatives focused on schizophrenia, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury. Garen explains how early detection can dramatically alter outcomes in schizophrenia, why collaboration and data-sharing are essential for progress, and how philanthropy can catalyze NIH funding and industry engagement.We also discuss the intersection of mental health and biotech—why investment has lagged despite enormous unmet need, how One Mind’s accelerator has helped launch dozens of companies, and why Garen believes brain health represents the largest untapped opportunity in medicine today.