about the
ballmer institute
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Leadership | Faculty and Staff | history | national model | strategic plan | partnerships | campus | news
Why We Exist
Our Vision
The vision of the Ballmer Institute for Children's Behavioral Health is to ensure that all children have the support they need to thrive.
Our Mission
Our mission is to expand equitable access to behavioral health support for children and families by training behavioral health providers, advancing research, and strengthening community capacity.
Our Core Belief
Access to high-quality mental health support is a fundamental right of all children and families. Realizing that right requires transforming how we prepare and deploy the behavioral health workforce.
Our leadership
Katie A. McLaughlin
Executive Director
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Our Story
The University of Oregon's Ballmer Institute for Children's Behavioral Health was created in 2022, after a transformational lead gift from Connie and Steve Ballmer, co-founders of Ballmer Group Philanthropy. The Institute is the most comprehensive effort undertaken by a university and its partners to respond to the growing crisis in children's behavioral health and wellbeing.
Based on the UO Portland campus, the Ballmer Institute is home to the nation's first undergraduate degree in child behavioral health and leading the development of a new type of health provider—the behavioral health and wellness practitioner.
Key Milestones
building a new Behavioral Health profession
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Standardized Training
community-embedded practice
Policy and Credentialing
National Replication
strategic plan
The Ballmer Institute's strategic plan reflects our commitment to establishing a sustainable and credentialed child behavioral health profession grounded in evidence-based practices that expands access to care and is positioned for national scale.
Grounded in guiding principles
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Our strategic priorities
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our team
Assistant Professor
Evelyn Cho
Focused on improving access to youth mental health care, Evelyn studies how clinicians implement evidence-based practices in routine care and develops tools to support effective treatment in community settings.
Professor
Sarah Kate Bearman
Bridging science and practice, Sarah Kate’s research ensures interventions are evidence‑based, practical, and accessible across the complex settings where youth receive care.
Senior Director
Tara Raines
A school psychologist by training, Tara champions a bachelor’s‑level workforce—and imagines a future where child behavioral health is woven into every classroom and community.
Assistant Clinical Professor
Katia Duncan
Driven by a commitment to youth and family well-being, Katia brings experience across clinical and community settings along with expertise in trauma-informed practices and culturally responsive supervision.
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Learn More
Contact Us
P: 541-346-2500
ballmerinstitute@uoregon.edu
Press Contact
Molly Blancett
University Communications
blancett@uoregon.edu