Update on Mental Health Initiatives

Dear colleagues,

Last month I provided you with a brief look-ahead at some of our major research funding interests, including details on the cannabis and opioids initiatives. While those remain very active areas of focus for INMHA, I would like to take the opportunity this month to update you on some of the activities we are involved in that are specific to mental health.

Innovative pan-Canadian network to improve youth mental health research and care

One developing success story that I am very pleased to highlight this month is ACCESS Open Minds. Led by Dr. Ashok Malla, of McGill University’s Douglas Hospital Research Institute, this national network marks a major Canadian innovation in youth mental health service design, delivery, evaluation, and research and was launched in June 2014 through CIHR’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR).

With $25 million in funding, provided by a 1:1 match from CIHR and the Graham Boeckh Foundation, this research-to-care program is positively impacting the mental health of youth in Canada. ACCESS Open Minds now has 14 sites across Canada – including 6 in Indigenous communities – that are generating new knowledge about youth mental health services in diverse contexts and ensuring that Canadian youth receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place.

Importantly, ACCESS Open Minds has now begun to form partnerships with other youth mental health hubs across Canada, including Foundry in BC and Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario. Recently, the Quebec Integrated Youth Services (IYS) project, which is the is the result of the combined collaborative efforts between the Graham Boeckh Foundation, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) and the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) has launched, using the ACCESS Open Minds framework as a model.

The ACCESS Open Minds network is a true model for integrating excellence in youth mental health services and research. What’s more, partnering with other organizations across Canada and sharing data from diverse communities holds tremendous potential for using knowledge to improve mental health services for youth nationwide. I am very proud of the achievements made thus far and I look forward to providing more updates and sharing more stories as the network continues to grow.

Institute participation in local and international mental health meetings

Our institute was active in a number of meetings this month with respect to mental health research funding and knowledge translation. In particular, we were pleased to have INMHA Associate Director, Dr. Eric Marcotte, attend the International Alliance of Mental Health Research Funders (IAMHRF) annual meeting in Vienna, Austria on February 15-16. The IAMHRF aims to accelerate progress in the mental health landscape by increasing the impact of mental health research investments and INMHA was very pleased to attend and contribute to the international conversation on mental health research funding priorities. We will be sure to share the outcome of these conversations as details and projects are more fully developed in the near future.

Additionally, and in collaboration with the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health, INMHA supported the Gender, Sexuality & Identity Design Jam, which took place in Vancouver on Feb 23-24. Dr. Carolina Koutras, INMHA Team Lead, Projects and Initiatives, attended the meeting and reports that the participating teams focused on addressing pressing health issues facing the LGBTQ+ communities with innovative knowledge translation solutions. One of the teams developed an innovative web tool to provide evidence-based, preventative mental health support for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). Their pitch won prizes from Cossette Inc. and Egale Canada, highlighting the importance of mental wellness in the context of LGBTQ+ communities.

Funding opportunity to support multinational, collaborative projects in mental health

As mentioned in our last newsletter, INMHA is supporting an ERA-NET NEURON call to facilitate projects that address important questions related to mental health and mental disorders across the entire lifespan. Applications for ERA-NET NEURON: 2018 Mental Disorders may include research on mood disorders (major depression, bipolar disorders), anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, autism spectrum disorders, substance use disorders, and other mental disorders. In addition to the application submission (in English) to the NEURON Joint Call Secretariat, Canadian consortium members applying for CIHR funding must complete an abbreviated CIHR application (in either of Canada's official languages) and submit it using ResearchNet. The deadline for pre-proposal submission is March 8.

Mental health is a key priority for the Government of Canada and for INMHA and we will continue to support diverse and impactful research and funding activities such as these in this important area. I thank you, as always, for your interest and support

Best,

Samuel Weiss, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS
Scientific Director
CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction

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