From staff reports
UW-Eau Claire psychology professor Jennifer Muehlenkamp recently received a three-year $304,029 Campus Suicide Prevention grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to help educate the campus community on how to recognize the signs of suicide, depression and anxiety in students.
Muehlenkamp specializes in understanding and preventing suicidal and non-suicidal self-injury in youth, including college students.
UW-Eau Claire was one of only 15 universities and colleges nationally to receive the award.
“Suicide is a huge concern on college campuses,” Muehlenkamp said. “Approximately 1,100 students are lost to suicide each year across the nation. It is the second leading cause of death in college students.”
The grant will enhance the work Muehlenkamp started in 2013 with UW-Eau Claire’s Suicide Prevention and Research Collaborative, an initiative she developed to address mental health needs on campus. The grant will support new programs and projects that promote mental health, including training for faculty, staff and student leaders to recognize suicide risk among peers and how to respond to them.
For more information, contact Muehlenkamp via email at muehlejj@uwec.edu or by calling 715-836-4626.
