Behavioral Health Innovation Center

The Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center (BHIC) is a collaboration between Vail Health and University of Wisconsin-Madison. These leaders in the study of novel behavioral health interventions will use the Innovation Center to enhance behavioral health care for patients in Eagle County and beyond. Led by Director of the Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center Dr. Charles Raison and with the support of a transformative donation from Mike and Mary Sue Shannon, Vail Health is committed to making the Innovation Center a world-class destination for behavioral health research, treatment and education.

The Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center resembles academic medical centers and research universities. Collaborating with researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison on initial studies focused on basic science and preclinical investigations, future collaborations are envisioned with other institutions.

Research Studies

Vail Health’s Behavioral Health Innovation Center (BHIC) aims to address the need for novel treatments in behavioral health. Led by Vail Health Behavioral Health’s Executive Director Chris Lindley and Dr. Charles Raison, a distinguished psychiatrist, researcher and professor at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, the BHIC is poised to pioneer a paradigm shift in mental health treatment.

The BHIC will initially focus on the following three studies: the CHILL'D Study (“Cold and Heat Investigation to Lower Levels of Depression”), the RECAP Follow-Up Study, and the OPTIMIZE Study (Optimizing Psilocybin).

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Lecture Series

Novel Approaches to Behavioral Health Innovation is a lecture series offered through Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center and University of Wisconsin-Madison. The series featured innovative leaders in behavioral health treatment and research.

The 12-month series has ended and the past lectures are available below for your enjoyment.

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Innovation Center Leadership

Charles Raison, MD

Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center Director

Charles Raison, MD is a professor of human ecology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Raison’s research focuses on the examination of novel mechanisms involved in the development and treatment of major depression and other stress-related emotional and physical conditions. In pursuit of improved treatments for mental illness, Dr. Raison has taken a leadership role in developing and overseeing studies that—if positive—will support FDA approval of the psychedelic agent psilocybin as a novel treatment for major depression. Dr. Raison has been named one of the world’s most influential researchers by Web of Science, based on his work being cited approximately 30,000 times. Among other awards, he has received the Raymond Pearl Memorial Award from the Human Biology Association “in recognition of his contributions to our understanding of evolutionary biocultural origins of mental health and illness,” and the Emory University Science on Spiritual Health Torch and Trumpet Award “for a career devoted to the mental and spiritual health of humanity by responding and attending to suffering with a compassionate heart and a keen scientific mind.”

The recipient of several teaching awards, Dr. Raison has received research funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Raison received his medical degree from Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha and won the Missouri State Medical Association Award. He completed residency training at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital in Los Angeles. In addition to his medical training, Dr. Raison obtained his Masters of English from the University of Denver. For many years he served as the mental health expert for CNN.

Christina Sauder, MS

Program Administrator

Christina Sauder oversees regulatory and administrative operations for the research at the Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center and plays a key regulatory role in Dr. Raison’s psychedelic studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She collaborates with the team in Vail to support study design, protocol development, regulatory submissions to the FDA and DEA, and compliance oversight, ensuring studies meet rigorous regulatory standards.

Christina has extensive experience in clinical research management. She has worked as a clinical trials consultant and program manager at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and previously served as Clinical Trials Manager at the Usona Institute, where she oversaw study start-up activities for a multi-site Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of psilocybin for treating major depression.

She holds a Master of Science degree in Exercise Physiology from Iowa State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her academic foundation in exercise science fuels her passion for the intersection of physical and mental health, driving her commitment to exploring holistic and innovative treatments in the behavioral health space.

Chloe Sorensen

Clinical Research Supervisor

Chloe Sorensen manages the day-to-day operations of the OPTIMIZE and CHILL’D studies in Vail and is responsible for training members of the Vail Health research team on study protocols and procedures. Chloe also oversees patient recruitment and enrollment, data collection and management, the development of study materials and regulatory compliance.

Chloe graduated from Stanford University with Honors and Distinction in Psychology and a concentration in Health and Development. Prior to her role at Vail Health, she worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where she oversaw the development and execution of multiple clinical trials examining novel treatments for depression. Chloe is also passionate about improving community access to mental health care, and worked closely with the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing to develop allcove, a new chain of integrated youth mental health centers in California. At Vail Health, she hopes to draw on her community health and research background in order to advance the Behavioral Health Innovation Center’s mission of providing novel treatments to the community while enhancing our scientific understanding of how they work.