Research in statistical sciences, mathematical methodologies, innovative computer technology, epidemiology, and service delivery as applied in mental health settings has been a feature of the Nathan Kline Institute since its inception. The Multi-State Information System was an early NIMH-funded project that provided data for administrative and fiscal planning, and broad scale research on the etiology, treatment options, and outcomes of mental illness while protecting privacy and confidentiality within a large psychiatric database.

In 1983, the research component of the Information Sciences Division was restructured as the Statistical Sciences and Epidemiology Division, with Eugene Laska, Ph.D. serving as its Director. In 2003 the division was redesignated the Statistics and Services Research Division (SSRD) to reflect the scope of its current research, and Carole Siegel, Ph.D. became its Director. Current research foci of the division continue along historical lines but have greatly expanded to include a major research program that concerns the service related issues of the reintegration of persons with multiple behavioral health care problems into the community. The division promotes research on processes toward recovery and the attainment of successful clinical and community focused outcomes.

From the division's inception until shortly before her untimely passing, Rheta Bank MA, played a major role in developing standards for confidentiality and privacy in psychiatric databases, contributing to research projects in cultural competency, as well as producing graphics and published materials. .

Since 1985, the Division has been a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Training and Research in Mental Health and in the Prevention of Substance Abuse. Eugene Laska, Ph.D. is Director of the Collaborating Center with Carole Siegel, Ph.D. and Marc Galanter, MD serving as Deputy Directors. The Collaborating Center supports WHO in its efforts to promote information transfer technologies within a global framework. The division has been redesignated as a Collaborating Center through 2011.

From 1993 until 2005, the Division was the administrative base for the Center for the Study of Issues in Public Mental Health, an NIMH-funded project conducted in collaboration with the New York State Office of Mental Health, the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany of the State University of New York, and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service of New York University. The Center supported projects that studied ways to improve the outcomes of public mental health services by integrating research findings with policy recommendations and practice innovations. Carole Siegel, Ph.D. served as the Director and Principal Investigator for the Center.

The Tappan Zee Bridge is a gateway to the Nathan Kline Institute and symbolizes our focus on building bridges to span multiple systems, develop coordinated programs, and unite mental health researchers, practitioners and consumers.