We have formalized these translational efforts into the College Behavioral and Emotional Health Institute (COBE; cobe.vcu.edu). COBE’s mission is to bring together the diverse faculty from across the campus who are working on Spit for Science, with the twin goals of (1) growing the collaborative research on substance use, mental health, and well-being in young people, and (2) translating the research into improved prevention, intervention, programming, and policy. This translational mission has led to new collaborations across the university with both obvious partners, such as faculty and staff from our Wellness Resource Center and Counseling Center, as well as non-traditional collaborators, such as faculty in the School of the Arts and the School of Mass Communications.
