Research Canada’s 19th Annual General Meeting: Empowering Future Generations Mental Health

Research Canada’s 19th Annual General Meeting: Empowering Future Generations

Mental Health and Wellbeing for a Prosperous Canada

Co-hosted by CAMH

Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Westin Hotel
Ottawa, Ontario

Join us for an engaging event on “Empowering Future Generations: Mental Health Initiatives in Canada.” Held on the occasion of Research Canada’s Annual General Meeting, researchers from leading institutions will convene in multiple formats to present innovative ideas and discuss strategies aimed at improving mental health support for young Canadians. Gain insights into cutting-edge research, policy recommendations, and community-based interventions that prioritize the mental well-being of our youth, from childhood to the transition to adulthood. This event promises to foster meaningful dialogue and collaboration towards a healthier future for generations to come.

Day at-a-Glance

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

10:00 am – 11:00 am: Member Networking Opportunity (optional)

(Research Canada’s Members, Supporters, and Partners)

11:00 am – 11:45 am: Fireside Chat – The Patient Journey: Accessing Care for Severe Mental Illness
(Research Canada’s Members, Supporters, and Partners)

Panelists

MODERATOR: Beth Kidd Executive Director Health Coalition of Alberta	Beth Kidd is the Executive Director of the Health Coalition of Alberta, representing more than 120 health charities, patient groups, and individuals. A long-standing patient advocate, she is dedicated to improving equitable access to services and care by focusing on public policy and government relations. She is a member of Research Canada’s Board of Directors, CADTH’s Patient and Community Advisory Committee, Dementia Network Calgary’s Strategic Council, and moderator of Alberta’s Migraine Warriors.
Dr. Pierre Blier, MD, PhD, FRSC Professor, Departments of Psychiatry & Cellular and Molecular Medicine University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research Royal Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Care	For the past 35 years, Dr. Pierre Blier has worked on the mechanisms of action of strategies, both psychotropic medications and neurostimulation approaches, aimed at treating mood and anxiety disorders more efficiently: get more patients better faster. To this aim, he has operated a fully integrated research program with a basic science laboratory using electrophysiological recordings of individual brain cells in animals and a clinical unit where patients are treated in his own research trials.
Aimée Tran ba huy Cognitive Science student at McGill University and Person With Lived/Living Experience	Aimée Tran ba huy is a driven Cognitive Science graduate from McGill University with a major in Computer Science and a minor in Philosophy. At McGill, she conducted an honors undergraduate thesis in the Philosophy of Psychiatry. Aimée has gained diverse work experience in the field of mental health, from contributing to AI-driven mental health initiatives at Mood Disorders Society of Canada to conducting research at the Paris Brain Institute, as well as working in a neuroscience lab in Switzerland. Aimée has also participated in front-line medical care work in Haiti via the NGO Haitian Global Alliance. Aimée is based in Montreal, Quebec, and lives with Bipolar 2 and generalized anxiety disorder.
Nancy Zorzi Program Manager, Mood Disorders Society of Canada	Nancy Zorzi is a senior healthcare communications and stakeholder engagement specialist with over 25 years of experience, four of those years in the not-for-profit/NGO/patient group sectors, including her current role as a Program Manager with Mood Disorders Society of Canada. Nancy has a degree in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario, a Graduate Diploma in Education from Bishop’s University, and has also studied abroad at the Université Canadienne en France. Nancy studied Public Relations at Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as Communication for Behavioural Impact (COMBI) from New York University.

12:10 pm – 1:15 pm: Panel Presentation – Empowering Future Generations: Early Detection and Intervention in Youth Mental Health Care

(Research Canada’s Members, Supporters, and Partners)

Panelists

MODERATOR: Alison Evans President & CEO Research Canada	Alison Evans is the President and CEO of Research Canada. Alison was the recent Vice President of Public Engagement at CARE Canada and prior to this she held many leadership positions within Canada’s high tech, postsecondary education, healthcare, tourism and agriculture sectors. She was Vice President, Members and Public Relations at Universities Canada and Vice-President of Communications, Volunteers and Information Resources at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). She is an expert in creating synergy between organizations, their vision and ambitions, and the stakeholders, donors, customers, funding organizations and partners who and which are essential to their success.
Dr. Stephanie Ameis, PhD Co-Director and Senior Scientist Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)	Dr. Stephanie Ameis is a senior scientist and the Associate Director of the Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and is appointed to the Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative at CAMH, the University of Toronto and SickKids. She is also an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and is Director of the Department of Psychiatry’s Clinician Scientist Program.
Dr. Dillon Browne, M.A., PhD Associate Professor of Psychology (Clinical) University of Waterloo Canada Research Chair in Child and Family Clinical Psychology	Dr. Dillon Browne is a Canada Research Chair in Child and Family Clinical Psychology, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Browne also holds an Ontario Early Researcher Award from the Ministry of Colleges & Universities. He is the founder and principal investigator of the FamilyPsycle^® Institute and Laboratory, where he leads an international program of research designed to promote child and family mental health and well-being in the context of rapid technological innovation. Dr. Browne is also a registered clinical psychologist in Ontario, with competency in working with children, adolescents, and families. He provides family therapy and psychotherapy to clients across Ontario, and he is heavily involved in clinical training and supervision for the next generation of clinicians.
Dr. Jo Henderson, PhD, C.Psych Executive Director, YWHO Scientific Director, Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth and Family Mental Health, CAMH Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto	Dr. Jo Henderson PhD., C.Psych. is a senior scientist and scientific director of the Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth and Family Mental Health at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Dr. Henderson is also Executive Director of Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Through all their roles, they are focused on working in partnership with youth, families and communities to create and implement new models of service delivery that support youth in achieving their optimal outcomes.
Dr. Daphne Korczak, MD, MSc, FRCPC (peds), FRCPC (psych) SickKids Chair in Child and Youth Medical Psychiatry Director, CLIMB Depression Program Scientist, Neuroscience and Mental Health, Research Institute Psychiatrist, Hospital for Sick Children Associate Professor, University of Toronto	Dr. Daphne Korczak is the SickKids’ Chair in Child and Youth Medical Psychiatry, Director of the Children’s Integrated Mood and Body (CLIMB) Depression Program, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Associate Scientist at the SickKids Research Institute, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Her research activities focus on depression and suicide prevention among children and adolescents, and the association of adolescent-onset depression with premature cardiovascular disease. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Korczak has led a large collaborative initiative examining the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of children with and without pre-existing mental health conditions.
Dr. Sarah Woods, PhD Interim Associate Director, Operations Scaling, Research & Development Unit Child Development Institute	Dr. Sarah Woods, PhD, is the Interim Associate Director, Operations in the Scaling, Research and Development Unit at Child Development Institute, a children’s mental health agency in Toronto. As a Senior Researcher, Sarah supports the implementation of a comprehensive children’s mental health and crime prevention framework that includes referral mechanisms, risk/need assessments and evidence-based programs. Her focus areas include aggression and disruptive behaviours, family violence, youth justice and co-occurring learning disabilities and mental health disorders.

1:15pm – 2:00 pm: Parliamentary Health Research Caucus Luncheon – Meet the Experts Session
Hosted by the Honourable, Dr. Helena Jaczek, MP (Markham—Stouffville), Chair of the Parliamentary Health Research Caucus, Co-hosted by Vice-Chairs, Dr. Stephen Ellis, MP (Cumberland—Colchester), Ms. Carol Hughes, MP (Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing) and Senate Representative, The Honourable Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia (Newfoundland and Labrador)

(Research Canada Members, Supporters and Partners and Parliamentarians – By Invitation Only)

Presenters

Dr. Stephanie Ameis, PhD Co-Director and Senior Scientist Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)	Dr. Stephanie Ameis is a senior scientist and the Associate Director of the Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and is appointed to the Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative at CAMH, the University of Toronto and SickKids. She is also an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and is Director of the Department of Psychiatry’s Clinician Scientist Program.
Dr. Jaideep Bains, PhD Senior Scientist and Director, Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network	One in five Canadians is affected annually by mood, anxiety or other neuropsychiatric disorders. The cost of these illnesses is $51 billion/yr. The most common trigger for the initiation and exacerbation of mental illnesses is an episode of stress. Dr. Jaideep Bains’ research examines how stress causes long-term changes in the brain at the cellular level. His goal is to uncover the biological rules that are altered by stress and understand how these changes impact behavior.
Dr. Pierre Blier, MD, PhD, FRSC Professor, Departments of Psychiatry & Cellular and Molecular Medicine University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research Royal Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Care	For the past 35 years, Dr. Pierre Blier has worked on the mechanisms of action of strategies, both psychotropic medications and neurostimulation approaches, aimed at treating mood and anxiety disorders more efficiently: get more patients better faster. To this aim, he has operated a fully integrated research program with a basic science laboratory using electrophysiological recordings of individual brain cells in animals and a clinical unit where patients are treated in his own research trials.
Dr. Dillon Browne, M.A., PhD Associate Professor of Psychology (Clinical) University of Waterloo Canada Research Chair in Child and Family Psychology	Dr. Dillon Browne is a Canada Research Chair in Child and Family Clinical Psychology, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Browne also holds an Ontario Early Researcher Award from the Ministry of Colleges & Universities. He is the founder and principal investigator of the FamilyPsycle^® Institute and Laboratory, where he leads an international program of research designed to promote child and family mental health and well-being in the context of rapid technological innovation. Dr. Browne is also a registered clinical psychologist in Ontario, with competency in working with children, adolescents, and families. He provides family therapy and psychotherapy to clients across Ontario, and he is heavily involved in clinical training and supervision for the next generation of clinicians.
Dr. Allison Crawford, PhD Chief Medical Officer, Talk Suicide Canada	Dr. Allison Crawford, MD, PhD is the Chief Medical Officer for 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline (www.988.ca) in Canada. Allison is Chair of the North American Regional Leadership Team with the International Association for Suicide Prevention’s Partnerships for Life. Allison is a psychiatrist and scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, where she is also Medical Director of Virtual Mental Health and Psychiatry Outreach, and Professor in Psychiatry and at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Her areas of focus are public mental health, suicide prevention and life promotion, and digital health. She also works with the Arctic Council, Sustainable Development Working Group, on circumpolar wellness and suicide prevention initiatives.
Dr. Etienne Hébert Chatelain, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Université de Moncton Canada Research Chair in Mitochondrial Signaling ResearchNB	Dr. Étienne Hébert-Chatelain focuses on the cellular powerhouses (called mitochondria) which provide the energy to the brain and study their role in the development of brain-related disorders, from cannabis intoxication to neurodegenerative diseases and anxiety. By studying how they enable normal brain functioning, they identify the key steps involved in the development of such diseases and develop tools to reverse cognitive decline and anxiety.
Dr. Jo Henderson, PhD, C.Psych Executive Director, YWHO Scientific Director, Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth and Family Mental Health, CAMH Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto	Dr. Jo Henderson PhD., CPsych. is a senior scientist and scientific director of the Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth and Family Mental Health at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Dr. Henderson is also Executive Director of Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Through all their roles, they are focused on working in partnership with youth, families and communities to create and implement new models of service delivery that support youth in achieving their optimal outcomes.
Dr. Nafissa Ismail, PhD Holder of the University Research Chair in Stress and Mental Health, Full Professor, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa Director of the LIFE Research Institute	Dr. Nafissa Ismail is dedicated to advancing women’s health research and to preventing mental illnesses globally. Her prolific work has been recognized by numerous awards including the Young Researcher of Year by the University of Ottawa, an Early Researcher Award by the province of Ontario, and the Governor General’s award in Commemoration of the Persons Case. She is a member of the Global Young Academy and of the College of the Royal Society of Canada.
Dr. Daphne Korczak, MD, MSc, FRCPC (peds), FRCPC (psych) SickKids Chair in Child and Youth Medical Psychiatry Director, CLIMB Depression Program Scientist, Neuroscience and Mental Health, Research Institute Psychiatrist, Hospital for Sick Children Associate Professor, University of Toronto	Dr. Daphne Korczak is the SickKids’ Chair in Child and Youth Medical Psychiatry, Director of the Children’s Integrated Mood and Body (CLIMB) Depression Program, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Associate Scientist at the SickKids Research Institute, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Her research activities focus on depression and suicide prevention among children and adolescents, and the association of adolescent-onset depression with premature cardiovascular disease. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Korczak has led a large collaborative initiative examining the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of children with and without pre-existing mental health conditions.
Dr. Nicole Racine, PhD, C.Psych Scientist and Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health CHEO Research Institute	Dr. Nicole Racine is a clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa and holds a Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. Her research program examines the impact of early childhood adversity on mental health and wellbeing, risk and resilience processes, and what prevention and intervention strategies break cycles of risk across generations. As a recognized leader in child adversity and mental health, she has received a number of national awards, including a New Researcher Award from the Canadian Psychological Association. Her high impact work has been included in key policy documents on children’s mental health, including reports from the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank.
Dr. Sarah Woods, PhD Interim Associate Director, Operations Scaling, Research & Development Unit Child Development Institute	Dr. Sarah Woods, PhD, is the Interim Associate Director, Operations in the Scaling, Research and Development Unit at Child Development Institute, a children’s mental health agency in Toronto. As a Senior Researcher, Sarah supports the implementation of a comprehensive children’s mental health and crime prevention framework that includes referral mechanisms, risk/need assessments and evidence-based programs. Her focus areas include aggression and disruptive behaviours, family violence, youth justice and co-occurring learning disabilities and mental health disorders.
Nancy Zorzi Program Manager, Mood Disorders Society of Canada	Nancy Zorzi is a senior healthcare communications and stakeholder engagement specialist with over 25 years of experience, four of those years in the not-for-profit/NGO/patient group sectors, including her current role as a Program Manager with Mood Disorders Society of Canada. Nancy has a degree in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario, a Graduate Diploma in Education from Bishop’s University, and has also studied abroad at the Université Canadienne en France. Nancy studied Public Relations at Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as Communication for Behavioural Impact (COMBI) from New York University.

2:15 pm – 3:15 pm: Business Meeting – Research Canada’s 19th Annual General Meeting
(Research Canada’s Members)

Event Co-Host:

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital and one of the world’s leading research centres in its field. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. With a dedicated staff of more than 5,000 physicians, clinicians, researchers, educators and support staff, CAMH offers outstanding clinical care to more than 38,000 patients each year. The organization conducts groundbreaking research, provides expert training to health care professionals and scientists, develops innovative health promotion and prevention strategies, and advocates on public policy issues at all levels of government. And through our Foundation, we’re working to raise tens of millions of additional dollars to fund new programs and research and augment services.

Prime Sponsor:

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