鈥淭he take home message is that autism research here at 91亚色 isn鈥檛 just one thing,鈥� psychology Professor Jonathan Weiss, chair of the 91亚色 Autism Research Alliance (YARA)聽in the Faculty of Health, told the audience. 鈥淲e want you to have a picture as you walk away from today聽of the breadth聽at which different faculty members with different areas of expertise are doing research.鈥�

Left: Dorota Crawford (standing, left) and Jonathan Weiss answering questions from the audience

YARA聽is an interdisciplinary team of researchers at 91亚色 that has been in existence for about two years. This was the first time it has reached out to聽a large range of聽community service providers as a group. The event was sponsored by .

鈥淭he goal was to provide an overview of the incredible range of autism research at 91亚色 and reach out to service providers and start a conversation with them,鈥� said Weiss. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really about knowledge exchange. This was the first step in that exchange, and they can let us know what they are interested in. Rather than a one way street, it breaks down the academic silos.鈥�

Weiss has just finished two pilot projects using聽cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with people with ASD 鈥� one used聽CBT to help reduce anxiety and the other used it聽to help build anger management skills. Weiss wants to know if the interventions that already exist can be adapted to help children with ASD, who also suffer from things like anxiety and aggression.

Right: Kari Hoffman explains her research at the inaugural showcase of the 91亚色 Autism Research Alliance

But that鈥檚 not all; he is also interested in knowing whether the level of health care and access to service for families with a teenager or adult with ASD is lacking in various parts of the province, what health care services they need and their experience of the system, and has embarked on a study to find out.

Dorota Crawford, a professor in 91亚色鈥檚 School of Kinesiology & Health Science, told the gathering she is researching whether genes or the environment are responsible for ASD. One of the things she is doing is trying to identify the genes responsible for specific symptoms of ASD and determine how they affect brain function. She has so far recruited 20 families with a child with ASD to give genetic material samples through a mouth swab to be able to compare genes. She is hoping her research will lead to an earlier diagnosis (before the age of two), earlier intervention and development of specific pharmaceuticals.

鈥淭he incidence of autism in the last three decades has increased dramatically,鈥� she said. In 1977, only one in 2,500 people were diagnosed with ASD, while in 2009 one in 106 people were diagnosed. Of those being diagnosed, males are four times as likely as females to have ASD.

Left: From left, Jonathan Weiss, Adrienne Perry, James Bebko, Dorota Crawford, Jennifer Steeves, Maz Fallah, Louise Hartley, director of the 91亚色 Psychology Clinic, and Tania Xerri, director of the Health Leadership & Learning Network

Psychology Professor Kari Hoffman told the audience about her work with social and emotional processing, the destination points for processing and the routes taken, which may be different in people with ASD than in a typical person.

School of Kinesiology & Health Science Professor Maz Fallah is interested in what things people with ASD pay attention to that may differ from others, what is the reason for that and what interventions could help. People who have an ASD have a persistent preoccupation with parts. 鈥淭hey cannot see the forest for the trees,鈥� says Fallah, and that might have to do with an object-based attention deficit, for instance.

As psychology Professor Jennifer Steeves says, 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot we take for granted when we look around the room, but there鈥檚 a lot of computations that are taking place in the brain.鈥�

This plays into what psychology Professor James Bebko is researching. Children with ASD don鈥檛 seem to be able to combine visual and auditory cues into a single unit, which is needed to assess emotion when watching and listening to someone talking. Their sensory systems seem largely intact, he said, so it may be that the problem lies in the processing or the transitional skills needed before the processing occurs.

What psychology Professor Adrienne Perry is looking into is the effectiveness of Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI), the program of choice for treating children with ASD. But Perry says the results in the field are variable compared to those in a controlled situation and she wants to know why. She is looking at the predictors of how well IBI works, such as age, IQ and severity of autism, as well as parent involvement.

鈥淚t鈥檚 great to see that research is going to look at family stress and at the IBI. We really struggle in the community to know what to do,鈥� said Penny Diamantopoulos, a case manager with the child and family team of the (Central CCAC).

Dawn Ullman, also a case manager at Central CCAC, says she hopes the alliance does some follow up with the community in the next year or so. She would like to know what the results are of some of the research the professors highlighted. 鈥淚 really want to know the bottom line鈥� as the person working with the families.

For more information, visit the 91亚色 Autism Research Alliance website.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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The report said it's estimated that roughly 65,000 young people are homeless or living in homeless shelters throughout the country at one time or another during a given year.

, associate dean of research and professional development in 91亚色's Faculty of Education, used to work in the youth homelessness sector in the '90s. He said the approach in Canada has remained much the same since 鈥� namely, the focus on provision of emergency services.

鈥淭he longer I鈥檓 involved in this issue, the more upset I am that we allow 15-, 16- and 17-year-olds to languish in emergency shelters rather than to provide them with better solutions and better options,鈥� he said. He co-authored the report with , an associate professor in 91亚色鈥檚 department of anthropology, and researcher Tara Patton.

Gaetz noted that other countries, such as Australia and the U.K., have evolved approaches focusing on prevention and moving individuals out of homelessness and into housing. He said while emergency services are needed, the real emphasis should be on preventing young people from becoming and remaining homeless.

He said research in Canada is pretty consistent in showing that between 60 and 70 per cent of young people come from households where they鈥檝e experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse. Yet even in situations where they鈥檙e leaving households where they may have been abused, it doesn鈥檛 mean their relationship with all family members has soured, he noted.

Even though family conflict is probably at the core of the majority of youth homelessness, it doesn鈥檛 mean that those relationships are irreconcilable, Gaetz said. In certain cases, there may not be a history of abuse but perhaps family conflict which can often be addressed. That means more intensive support is needed for both the youngster and their family.

鈥淚f there鈥檚 conflict parents may not know what to do. There may be anger management issues that need working on; there may be mediation. There may also just need to be a cooling-out period.鈥�

The report profiles the Family Reconnect program run by , which operates three shelters in the Toronto area and works with homeless and at-risk youth aged 16-24 to get them off the streets permanently.

The program provides youngsters with support through various channels, including counselling, to help get them on track to potentially return home or move into the community, ideally with family support.

Between 2005 and 2010, the program helped 376 clients. Among them, 62 per cent of youth became more actively involved with family members and 14.5 per cent reconciled with a family member after repairing a damaged relationship.

Parents are also able to benefit from the program.

Gaetz said it will require a unified approach from all levels of government to develop strategic responses to homelessness.

At the provincial level where funding is controlled for most service delivery, they recommend establishing an inter-ministerial working group that spans all sectors. They鈥檙e also asking municipal governments to develop strategic plans to address youth homelessness.

鈥淚 really believe that the knowledge is there about how to do this and, in many cases, the commitment is there to do things differently.鈥�

also covered the report April 13.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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"If a child is bullied at home by his or her parents or siblings, they鈥檙e going to learn the patterns they need to learn about the use of power and aggression in relationships," says Debra Pepler [Distinguished Research Professor in psychology at 91亚色鈥檚 LaMarsh Centre for Child & Youth Research].

These "children who are morally disengaged tend to think that the other child is just deserving of it, that they鈥檙e not human. They really disregard that child鈥檚 basic rights."

Pepler, who works at 91亚色 [Faculty of Health] and the in Toronto, co-founded the Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network.

She says that for most kids, bullying or being bullied are minor problems that pass with time. But 10 to 15 per cent require extra support, and chronic bullies need help from mental health experts.

Pepler found that "85 per cent of the time, we saw bullying in the schoolyard or in the classroom, other children are there, and they form the audience for bullying and they reinforce the child who is bullying."

Her findings show that chronic bullies are more likely to skip school, abuse substances, sexually harass others, use violence in romantic relationships and eventually get into crime.

"They don鈥檛 have that voice inside that says, 鈥業s this a good idea, should I do this?鈥� They鈥檙e really willing to go along to keep their friends, to keep their status, and do all sorts of negative things when they鈥檙e exposed to peer pressure. If we wanted to identify and help those children who are going to cost society the most in terms of criminal behaviour . . . we would be looking at the children who are involved in high rates of bullying."

These kids "probably need mental health services, (and) they and their families need a lot of support around how to develop the social-emotional capacity for healthy relationships." Schools need to keep track of every occurrence of bullying and focus their resources on the chronic bullies, she says.

Combating the stigma against reporting bullying to adults requires re-educating both children and adults, Pepler says.

"Children have a responsibility to tell when it鈥檚 happening, either to (teachers) or to someone else, because it violates a child鈥檚 rights, to be bullied. A child who is bullied isn鈥檛 safe, and similarly a child who bullies others is really in need of help."

This approach also helps combat cyberbullying because "the children who are cyberbullying are the children who traditionally bully," Pepler says.

She says teaching math and literacy is different from teaching kids how to interact positively. "Two plus two always equals four, and Cat on the Mat always looks the same, but social-emotional development is hugely complex," she says.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Youth at risk fail at school, have mental health issues and get in trouble with the law. Would they be better served if all three systems 鈥� education, mental health and justice 鈥� worked together?

That question animated discussion at a recent forum organized by the 91亚色 Centre for Education and Community (YCEC). Sponsored by 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Education and the Department of Justice, the March 18 forum, called "Youth, Mental Health, and the Justice System: An Educational Concern", brought together academics and practitioners from universities, community-based organizations, school boards, the health sector, the justice system and government agencies.

Participants talked about the challenges of helping wayward youth and recommended ways to integrate systems. The recommendations will be featured in a report to be shared with the Department of Justice and are expected to form the basis of future changes.

, director of the Community Health Systems Resource Group, , acted as forum facilitator. In his opening remarks, he said young people can experience one or all of three factors 鈥� school failure, poor mental health and trouble with the law. 鈥淲e know that certain groups are more likely to be in conflict with the law, and that there are risk factors,鈥� he said, and encouraged participants to 鈥渄ig into your experiences today and help us to understand how we can address issues of equity, so that we have not only equal access but also equal outcomes for all our youth.鈥�

The forum began with a panel featuring , lawyer and education professor at 91亚色; , director of the Centre for Children Committing Offences & Program Development, Child Development Institute; , Distinguished Research Fellow in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Education; and Llewellyn Joseph, medical director of the Regional Outpatient Disruptive Behaviors Program at , and YCEC Advisory Council member.

Shanahan opened by exploring the question: 鈥淐an we keep disruptive youth in the education system?鈥� She offered a legal perspective on the discipline of wayward youth in schools, acknowledging the limitations of the law and education legislation that emphasizes safety in schools. She called for alternative approaches to dealing with wayward behavior in youth.

Augimeri described her work with 鈥渢he forgotten kids鈥� (aged six to 12 years) and 鈥渙vershadowed girls鈥� within this demographic, using the model, an internationally acclaimed, evidence-based program that identifies and works with children under 12 at risk of becoming involved (or already involved) with the law. She said 鈥渢here is hope鈥� because early intervention strategies tend to have the biggest impact on the younger age group.

Britzman discussed the fragile interaction of youth, law, desire and mental health. She offered philosophical and psychoanalytical views of adolescence and education, drawing from the work of Helene Deutsch, Fran莽ois Roustang, Anna Freud and Julia Kristeva.

Joseph, an experienced child and adolescent psychiatrist, provided an historical overview of the Canadian policy landscape vis-脿-vis mental health, education and the law. Through case study examples, he explained the challenges of intervening with youth in conflict with the law. 鈥淥ne of the dilemmas is trying to determine whether that acting out behaviour presented in adolescence, or even early adolescence, is early bipolar disorder and should be labeled as mental health, or should be considered criminal behaviour.鈥�

During ensuing round-table discussions, participants suggested improvements to all three systems 鈥� education, mental health and justice 鈥� and agreed that the greatest need for change exists where these systems intersect. They stressed repeatedly that the needs of youth can be met only if the three systems work together. 聽When that happens, said one participant, 鈥渨e can create an environment where youth feel that people care about them.鈥�

Participants deplored the punitive approach and incarceration for young people favoured by the government and in social discourse. Those working in medical and justice systems noted the increase in mentally ill individuals in prisons and detention facilities, and the limited capacity of the youth criminal justice system to meet the needs of youth, particularly those facing mental health challenges.

Lack of trust between youth and police is a significant factor in setting youth on life trajectories that involve repeated conflict with the law, said participants. 鈥淵outh from certain communities are being over-policed,鈥� said one participant. Those communities tend to be where there are large concentrations of people of colour or Aboriginal populations. Participants stressed the need for all three systems to identify and address systemic racism as it affects young people.

To be successful, programs need to be multidimensional, target kids in elementary school, be consistent and sustainable, and engage community, youth and families, said participants. Programs need to foster strong, trusting relationships between youth and adults, and offer a variety of supports, including academic, health, social, recreational and cultural, they said.

Legislation must not punish but help and support young people who get in trouble, insisted participants. Youth must be encouraged to stay in school to improve their chances of success and avoid conflict with the law. Teachers must be trained and schools given resources to address mental health issues of children and youth at risk, they concluded.

The forum was organized by Carl James, YCEC director, and , dean of 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Education.

Facilitating discussions were 91亚色 education Professors Susan Dion, Nombuso Dlamini, John Ippolito, James and Shanahan; and geography Professor Ranu Basu.

Round-table discussions featured members of the YCEC advisory council: Mary Anne Chambers, Cheryl Jackson, Llewellyn Joseph, Amos Key Jr., Cheryl Prescod and Chandra Turner.

Taking notes were graduate students Melanie Bourke, Selom Chapman-Nyaho, Rebeca Gutierrez Estrada, Danielle Kwan-Lafond, Krysta Pandolfi and Samuel Tecle.

With files from Louise Gormley, research assistant, 91亚色 Centre for Education & Community

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Researchers from the University of New Brunswick, the University of Alberta, Ryerson University, and 91亚色 released the findings of their groundbreaking research on Thursday that examined students at Oromocto High School near Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, who recently had a parent serving in the Canadian mission in Afghanistan.

The researchers reported the teens worried their parents would not return home or would come back "different."

The study found that stress caused concerns at home. The young people felt a sense of responsibility for the emotional stability of their other parent and for any younger siblings at home. The teen felt additional stress if the parent remaining in Canada was having difficulty with the other parent being away on the military mission.

. . .

The teens reported feelings of isolation in attempting to deal with those problems, according to the study.

In particular, adolescent girls took on a large share of the family's emotional burden when one parent was overseas.

. . .

[The] study was funded by the .It is a part of a larger study into the mental health and well-being of adolescents in military families.

The studywas covered by , the , the , and among other news outlets.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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91亚色 Professors Chris Ardern, , Paul Ritvo and Lauren Sergio will work on site聽for one to聽two days a week with hospital clinicians to foster research collaborations and knowledge exchange, and engage in joint knowledge mobilization efforts.

The partnership will realize important benefits to the research communities at both institutions and for the general public, says 91亚色 Professor (right), associate vice-president research, science & technology, who led the effort to develop the partnership with Southlake Regional Health Centre.

"The embedded 91亚色 researchers are senior scientists who will explore and cultivate research collaborations between 91亚色 and Southlake researchers and clinicians," says Siu. "They will act as 'matchmakers' and brokers and will bring聽91亚色's聽research expertise and knowledge to Southlake to聽facilitate collaboration.

"The partnership will broaden the research capacity for both 91亚色 researchers and the Southlake clinicians," says Siu. "91亚色 does not have a Faculty of Medicine聽or聽a teaching hospital. As a result,听University researchers do not聽have the patient access聽they would like to have. By working with Southlake,听the University is enhancing a collaboration that would benefit both parties."

The embedded聽University scientists聽bring to Southlake Regional Health Centre聽their recognized expertise in biomedical and health research. Southlake is the only community-based hospital in Ontario to offer six regional tertiary programs, including child and adolescent mental health, maternal and child,听cardiac and cancer care.

"We anticipate this to be an outstanding opportunity for both Southlake and 91亚色," says , director of research at Southlake.

"Serving some 1.5 million people through our regional programs and providing tertiary level care in many areas, the depth and breadth of programs and services, and the unexplored opportunities for reasearch collaboration between Southlake and 91亚色 are endless," says Clifford.

"Southlake is interested in strengthening its research in terms of breadth and depth and in fact, Southlake is developing a research institute with a plan to聽become a teaching hospital with an official affiliation with a Canadian university," says Siu.

91亚色 is聽a preferred candidate for this kind of partnership with Southlake, says Siu,听because the two institutions have shared goals and visions, and a willingness to work together.

The partnership offers exceptional training and educational opportunities for graduate and undergraduate聽students working in the research teams, says Siu.

In addition, the opportunity presented by the collaboration between the聽two institutions聽is consistent with the goal of integrating teaching and research with the world outside the University that was articulated in聽91亚色's recent .

More about the 91亚色-Southlake embedded researchers

Chris Ardern (left) is a professor in the School of Kinesiology聽& Health Science in 91亚色's Faculty of Health.聽His current research聽interests include the epidemiology of physical activity, obesity and cardiometabolic risk. His most recent work has focused on the use of risk algorithms, behavioural profiling and trajectory modelling approaches to identify high-risk subgroups for the development of the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease mortality.聽Arden is currently investigating the role of geospatial analysis to improve the surveillance of cardiovascular disease in 91亚色 Region, and is a co-investigator on the Pre-diabetes Detection聽& Physical Activity Intervention and Delivery (PRE-PAID) program, a six-month trial of culturally-preferred physical activity.聽Ardern will be embedded in Southlake's chronic disease portfolio.

In her research, (right) works on a family of proteins known as nucleoside transporters. These transporters play significant roles in a number of clinical settings because they transport drugs used in cancer and are targets of drugs used in some cardiac care settings. Despite their clinical relevance, Coe, who is a聽professor of biology in 91亚色's Faculty of Science & Engineering, says researchers聽know very little about how these transporters work and how they differ in terms of their distribution, activity and regulation in individual patients.聽Using a molecular diagnostics approach, Coe and her team will work with Southlake clinicians from both the cardiac care and oncology聽portfolios to investigate the transporter profiles in individual patients and correlate these profiles with drug treatments and outcomes. The ultimate goal of this work is to contribute to the efforts to develop more personalized approaches to the treatment of disease.

Paul Ritvo (left) is a behavioural scientist who will serve as the research adviser, physical and mental health liaison and special projects scientist. A professor in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Health, Ritvo鈥檚 research interests focus on electronic health interventions that employ cell phones, smartphones and online programs to change health behaviours in diabetics, HIV-positive individuals and individuals with mental health difficulties. Ritvo will work with Southlake clinicians to extend current intervention studies that use Blackberry smartphones and innovative software applications to help patients reduce health risks by way of healthy exercise, diet and improved medication adherence.

Lauren Sergio (right) is a neuroscientist working in 91亚色's Sherman Health Science Research Centre. Her聽current research projects examine the effects of age, sex, neurological disease and past head injuries (of athletes versus non-athletes) on the brain's control of complex movement. In her role with Southlake Regional Health Centre, Sergio will be an embedded researcher in the chronic disease, emergency medicine and surgical portfolios.聽She works with a wide range of adult populations, including professional hockey players and Alzheimer's disease patients. Her findings have implications for neurological disease diagnosis and rehabilitation and for understanding the fundamental brain mechanisms for movement control. She is using cognitive-motor integration research to test if new instrumentation developed in her laboratory can differentiate between聽types of dementia. She is also聽researching the long-term effects of concussion in young athletes. Sergio is a member of the .

The embedded researcher program at Southlake Regional Health Centre is an example of the collaboration between the Faculty of Science & Engineering and the Faculty of Health at 91亚色 and is part of an ongoing commitment by the Faculties' deans to work together.

For more information on 91亚色's聽partnerships with聽regional聽hospitals, see YFile,听April 17, 2009 and 聽April 21, 2009.

By Jenny Pitt-Clark, YFile editor.

Republished courtesy of YFile 鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Nazilla Khanlou knows. An immigrant herself, she's been studying the mental health of new arrivals聽鈥� mainly聽women and youth 鈥� for a decade. But her community-based research goes well beyond gathering information. Whatever she learns about the mental wellbeing of newcomers and the services they need to adjust and integrate she shares with community agencies, health and social service providers and policy makers.

Right: Nazilla Khanlou

In fact, check out her new website and see that since 2008, when she joined 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Health as the first Echo Ontario Women鈥檚 Health Council Chair in Women鈥檚 Mental Health Research, she has shared her research on immigration and mental health at dozens of conferences and with government ministries. The nursing professor never turns down invitations to speak to local community groups, has started a newsletter and has聽launched a speaker series at 91亚色 鈥� anything to help improve the transition of immigrant women, youth and their families聽into Canadian society.

In her office suite in 91亚色 Lanes, one room serves as a meeting room, resource library and workspace for her community-based partners, visiting scholars, graduate students and her research team. 鈥淚 like the connection between academia and community,鈥� says Khanlou, who has put up pictures on the wall and tried to make the room a welcoming, comfortable space.

Khanlou聽practised as a psychiatric nurse and spent seven years as health domain leader of the Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement in Toronto.

She believes in caring for the individual as well as providing systemic support to promote the mental wellbeing of immigrant women.

鈥淲hen we talk about women, we鈥檙e not talking about a homogeneous group,鈥� says Khanlou. Immigrant women come from varying cultures, religions, regions and educational backgrounds. They聽juggle many of the same day-to-day responsibilities and face the same pressures and multiple-role expectations as their Canadian-born peers.

Newcomers also face barriers 鈥� linguistic, social, cultural and gender-based 鈥� and discrimination. Isolation, family pressures and fear of stigma can prevent many from seeking help. To flourish, immigrant women, like everybody else, need fulfilling relationships, self-confidence and a sense of security. They need support systems that provide access to employment and good housing, health and social services, and equitable聽treatment.

鈥淕ood mental health doesn鈥檛 happen on its own,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e need a way to focus on society and systemic issues but not to lose sight of聽each person's resilience and challenges because at the end of the day, you need to attend to the individual.鈥�

Most recently, Khanlou has collaborated with community partners on a variety of studies. One looked at how newcomer teenagers from Afghan, Colombian, Sudanese and Tamil communities understand mental health and seek help. Another compared the perceptions of newcomer immigrant and Canadian-born residents of Toronto鈥檚 St. James Town of their neighbourhood, social relations and access to health and social services and the effect on their wellbeing.聽With faculty in 91亚色's School of Nursing, a聽third聽explores the connection between immigrant women鈥檚 participation in their community and their success at settling in a community, and a fourth aims to improve the measurement of child and youth resilience.

Khanlou has also reviewed policies on immigrant health and mental health for federal and provincial agencies.

All Khanlou鈥檚 studies come with recommendations on how to remove barriers and improve services to promote mental health.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting time to be in the mental health field because more people are talking about the relevance of mental health to all of us,鈥� says Khanlou. 鈥淗opefully our efforts come together to take away the fear of stigma so when families experience mental illness they are able to access good services and are able to talk about it. We all need good mental health.鈥�

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Applications are due by Monday, February 28, 2011.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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The Faculty of Health has appoointed 91亚色 psychology Professor as the director of the LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence & Conflict Resolution.

Right: Yvonne Bohr

As the new director of the LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence & Conflict Resolution, Bohr is on familiar ground. As an executive member聽of the LaMarsh Centre since 2004, she has actively participated in the redevelopment of the centre鈥檚 mission and vision. Her research encompasses issues of mental health and well-being among young children, and she actively engages the community both as collaborators in the research and for the mobilization of knowledge.

"A real strength of Dr. Bohr鈥檚 work experience, in light of the vision and mission of the LaMarsh Centre, is the breadth of her experience in both international and local partnership, both with other academics and with community members,鈥� says Harvey Skinner, dean of the Faculty of Health. 鈥淗er existing partnerships, and her knowledge of how to build and sustain partnerships, is consistent with the LaMarsh Centre's goals to influence policy, engage the community, and build local and global learning networks.鈥�

A clinical psychologist and psychology professor, Bohr is engaged in academic collaborations with colleagues at the Sapienza University of聽Rome and several centres in Canada and the United States. She also continues to lead an infant and child mental health team at , a community treatment clinic in East Toronto.

Other Faculty of Health Appointments

Claire Mallette聽has also been appointed聽the new director of 91亚色鈥檚 School of Nursing and Angelo Belcastro is now chair of the School of Kinesiology & Health Science.

Left: Claire Mallette

Prior to becoming director of the School of Nursing, Mallette was director of nursing education, placement & development at the University Health Network in Toronto, while holding an adjunct appointment in the Faculty of Nursing at 91亚色 and at聽the University of Toronto. Mallette was also the chief nursing officer and director of professional practice at the Workplace Safety聽&聽Insurance Board of Ontario from 2002 to 2006. She has held various teaching positions at the University of Toronto, McMaster University, Sheridan College, John Abbott College and the University of Alberta Hospital School of Nursing, from 1987 to 2002, as well as staff nurse positions in hospitals in Montreal, Ontario and Alberta.

In addition, Mallette has been the principal or co-investigator of six funded grants or programs totalling approximately $1.4 million dollars for research examining educational methodologies, virtual worlds, simulation, and new nursing graduate competencies and decision-making.

鈥淢allette has extensive experience and strengths as an academic nurse leader, educator and researcher,鈥� says Skinner.

Right: Angelo Belcastro

Prior to joining 91亚色 as the new chair of the School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Belcastro was the research director in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton. He has taken over the position from聽Professor聽Ira Jacobs.

鈥淒r. Belcastro is internationally recognized for his scholarship, is an effective educator and has outstanding leadership qualities and experience,鈥� says Skinner.

In addition, Belcastro has held senior administrative roles in a variety of academic settings, including as director of the School of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of British Columbia, founding dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Western Ontario, vice-president academic at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton,听and vice-president academic & provost at Royal Roads University. He also has extensive experience in academic planning, visioning and program execution, says Skinner.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Right: Megan Davies

Davies and University of Victoria Professor E. are in the final stages of a community-informed curriculum project that will provide middle- and secondary-school teachers in Ontario and British Columbia with a set of innovative, cross-disciplinary teaching units they can integrate into the classroom. The Youth聽& Mental Health project is funded by a Collaborative Faculty Incentive Grant from ResearchImpact, which is a 91亚色 and University of Victoria initiative. The project is the result of a series of consultations with community groups, educators, and psychiatric survivors and it will offer students a wide range of perspectives on mental well-being. The goal is to facilitate critical thinking on this sensitive 鈥� and often controversial 鈥� topic, and to explore interrelated themes of diversity and social justice.

Davies got the idea for the project in an undergraduate class she taught at 91亚色 over five years ago. Her students 鈥� inspired by the material they were exploring on the history of mental health in Canada 鈥� told her that mental health issues should be tackled in the classroom much earlier in a student鈥檚 education. 鈥淚 really took that to heart,鈥� she notes. 鈥淭hey were right; we need to talk to their younger selves.鈥�

A series of community consultations were held in Toronto and Victoria. In September, Davies and Marshall presented four draft teaching units to middle- and secondary-school focus groups for feedback and criticism. Feedback from the groups was integrated into the units and the researchers began to develop a Web site that would house the teaching units and other resources. launched at the end of January and it is rich with lesson plans, hands-on activities, resources and helpful learning objectives.

Learners explore, across cultures and history, the shifting contours of what is, and what has been regarded as, normal mental health in the first teaching unit, Understanding, Experiencing聽& Equity. The lessons in the unit encourage students to consider where stereotypes about mental health come from, how they impact individuals and communities, and what can be done to combat these negative responses. In one of the activities, students are asked to discuss passages from the diary of a young woman named Lara Gilbert who lived in Vancouver during the 1980s and 1990s and struggled with depression. 鈥淭he idea is to get students to think about what life is like for someone with mental health issues,鈥� says Davies. 鈥淲hat better way to provoke discussion than through the writings of someone who has actually dealt with the challenges, the discrimination and the struggle for well-being.鈥�

Traditionally, mental health patients in Canada were sent to live at institutions for extended periods of time, if not their entire lives. In the 1960s and 1970s, improved treatment options and a shift in ideology occurred; governments and health professionals started to advocate for the deinstitutionalization of mental health care. The idea was to integrate 鈥� rather than isolate 鈥� patients into the community. The second teaching unit, Self-Determination聽& Activism, provides a snapshot into the conditions of mental health institutions and explores what the shift in practice meant for those living with mental health issues.

As Davies notes, though integrating individuals into the community may have been a noble idea, it has been a difficult and flawed process. Insufficient community services, limited health care, and a lack of funding for resources have prevented mental health patients from getting the support they need. Instead, the most powerful force for positive change has often come from psychiatric survivors themselves who have united against discrimination and pushed for better living conditions. Students in the second unit examine patients鈥� rights and reflect on the mixed freedoms and hardships that community living can provide.

Housing, Homelessness聽& Poverty, the focus of the third teaching unit, asks students to think about complex questions such as: Why are people with mental health issues vulnerable to being homeless? Should safe, affordable housing be considered a fundamental right? Highlights of the unit include surprisingly grim figures about the state of homelessness in Canada and an activity that gets students to create skits that portray the real-life stories they鈥檝e read in class.

The last teaching unit, Well-Being, Health Care聽& Treatment, looks at positive mental health strategies and resources. It also examines mental health care through the lens of human rights. Lessons are complemented by historical archives, cartoons and artwork.

鈥淓ach of the four teaching units draw heavily on personal experiences, historical documents, poetry and graphic art in order to help students gain a more comprehensive and personal understanding of the complex aspects of mental health,鈥� says Davies. 鈥淭he lessons are interactive and designed to encourage a deeper learning experience through personal reflection and engagement in classroom discussion.鈥�

Davies, who teaches in the Health & Society Program in聽91亚色's Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, continues to exchange ideas with community partners on revisions for the teaching units. She hopes to develop more units in the future and to have them linked to curriculum in other provinces, translated so that they can be accessed by francophone students and reworked for aboriginal communities. Davies also welcomes suggestions for improvement from students. In fact, she says students played a key role in the overall success of the project. 鈥淎 lot of the work was done by youth 鈥� from the original artwork on the Web site to data entry and research,鈥� Davies notes. 鈥淭his was very much a youth-centred project and it only made sense to involve them at each phase.鈥�

The project has already attracted .

The curriculum project is part of a larger heritage initiative that is funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. As part of that initiative, Davies has been active in the creation of another Web site, , which serves as a research, resource and educational hub on mental health issues.

For more information on Davies鈥� research, e-mail daviesmj@yorku.ca.

By Kristin Taylor, communications coordinator, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Republished courtesy of YFile 鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

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