What is DIVERT MENTAL HEALTH?
Change is needed to move from an unacceptably low bar of ‘cultural safety’ in mental health care to mental health care that rises to the challenge of integrating the diverse lived experiences of children, youth, and their families. Canada is at a watershed moment—to improve mental health care, and its accessibility and availability, we must integrate and affirm different approaches to how we develop, study, and provide it.
The Digital, Inclusive, Virtual, and Equitable Research Training in Mental Health Platform (DIVERT Mental Health) is a transdisciplinary mental health training platform dedicated to changing the course of mental health research and practice in Canada with children, youth, and their families. We are primarily funded by a multi million-dollar investment from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and enabled by a large investment in digital infrastructure and expertise from IBM Canada.
DIVERT sets out to harness the knowledge and expertise of a diverse range of multi-sectoral educators so we can all learn together through online experiences, national mentorship groups based on lived experiences, research collaborations (with patients, families, industries, Non-Governmental Organizations [NGOs], and health care organizations), annual in-person meetings, and the future evolution of a certificate program.
Our Mission
To create a national community of transdisciplinary mental health researchers and clinicians that will champion an inclusive and accessible mental health care system for children, youth, and families in Canada. No one university or mental health care organization can do this alone. We must co-create together to divert the course of mental health care in this country.
We will promote inclusivity through disseminating diverse cultural knowledges about mental health in children, youth, and their families; teaching about the role of socio-historical context in their mental health care; and supporting a framework for practice that integrates and does not compartmentalize these knowledges.
We will promote accessibility through disseminating practical knowledge about technologies that can facilitate mental health care and by promoting research collaborations with non-academic experts in industry and communities.
Who Can Join DIVERT MENTAL HEALTH?
Anyone and Everyone
Our community is open to all people wanting to learn about accessible and inclusive mental health practices in research and practice with children, youth, and families. Become an Associate Fellow.
Docs, Post-docs, and ECRs
Developing a research project or research program that focuses on diverse knowledges in mental health and increasing accessibility through technology for children, youth, and/or their families? Become a Fellow.
Industry, NGO, Healthcare Organizations, and Academic Advocates
Are you on staff at a Business, an NGO, a Health Care Organization, or a Professor at a University that wants to build an ongoing partnership with us to support your mental health research, training, and/or practice with children, youth, and families? Become a Partner.
Our Team
Leadership
This project brings together the leadership of nine principal investigators across Canada.
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Rebecca Pillai Riddell
(Nominated Principal Investigator | Psychology, York University) -
Patrick McGrath
(Co-Principal Investigator | Psychology, Dalhousie University) -
Allison Crawford
(Co-Principal Investigator | Psychiatry, CAMH & University of Toronto) -
Quynh Doan
(Co-Principal Investigator | Pediatric Emergency Medicine, BC Children’s Hospital & University of British Columbia) -
Ruth Green
(Co-Principal Investigator | Social Work, York University) -
Annette Majnemer
(Co-Principal Investigator | School of Physical & Occupational Therapy, McGill University) -
Amanda Newton
(Co-Principal Investigator | Pediatrics, University of Alberta) -
Rita Orji
(Co-Principal Investigator | Computer Science, Dalhousie University) -
Lori Wozney
(Co-Principal Investigator | Mental Health and Addictions, IWK Health)
Co-Investigators
(Academic)
-
Aislin
Mushquash -
André
Lauzon -
Cathy
MacLean -
Cheryl
Chow -
Christopher
Mushquash -
Geneviève
Belleville -
Graham
Reid -
Igor
Yakovenko -
Janet
Curran -
Jennifer
Zwicker -
Jill
Hatchette -
Mario
Cappelli -
Marlene
M.
Moretti -
Marsha
Campbell-Yeo -
Nicole
Catherine -
Nicole
Racine -
Olof
Kristjansdottir -
Penny
Corkum -
Samina
Ali -
Sandra
Meier -
Shalini
Lal -
Sherry
Stewart
Co-Investigators
(Industry, NGO, and Healthcare Organizations)
Fellows
(Early Career Researchers)
Fellows
(Postdoctoral Fellows)
Fellows
(Master’s & Doctoral Students)
-
Amber
Hussain -
Andem
Effiong -
Angela
Senevirathna -
Bilen
Araya -
Caitlin
Piccone -
Cindy
Quan -
Devyn
Rorem -
Elaheh
Sanoubari -
Erynne
Sjoblom -
Estreya
Cohen -
Geneveave
Barbo -
Gloria
Obuobi-Donkor -
Haleh
Hashemi -
Ishani
Bharadwaj -
Izzy
Malik -
Jade
Stobbart -
Jasleen
Kaur -
Jazzmin
Demy -
Jennifer
Bertoni -
Jocelyn
Paul -
Makayla
Freeman -
Medard
Adu -
Mya
Dockrill -
Nagi
Abouzeid -
Naureen
Sikder -
Salomé
Jean-Denis -
Samaneh
Abedini
Najafabadi -
Samantha
Chan -
Samuel
Gagné -
Serge
Nyirinkwaya -
Sydney
Puhach -
Vamika
Mann -
Zelyn
Lee