Dr. Alamanac is a psychiatrist at Women’s College Hospital and an associate professor of psychiatry in Temerty Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry.

Reasons for Hope is supporting her study, “Biometrics in Longitudinal Uptake for Early Monitoring and Assessing Perinatal Patterns of Emotions in Depression (BLUESMAPPED)“.

Perinatal depression affects up to one in five parents, and especially teens. This study tests wearable devices to track sleep, activity, and heart rate in pregnant people with prior depression.

Data generated from the study may help predict depression earlier and guide preventative strategies. Early detection could also improve mental health outcomes for parents and children.

Dr. Mitchell is an associate scientist in the Suicide Research Prevention Collaborative at the Sunnybrook Research Institute’s Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program and an associate professor of psychiatry at U of T.

Reasons for Hope has provided funding for her study, “Brief SKILLs for SafEr Living for Youth (B-SKILLED): Adapting and Piloting a Single-Session Intervention to Prevent Suicide in Youth“, that seeks to adapt a 90‑minute targeted suicide‑prevention program for ages 13–17.

Suicide is a leading cause of death among Canadian youth. By teaching coping skills that reflect teens’ real experiences, the program aims to improve safety, reduce suicidal thoughts, and support healthier futures for young people.

Dr. Pouget is a psychiatrist and clinician-scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and an assistant professor of psychiatry at U of T.

Reasons for Hope has provided funding for her project “Stopping psychosis before it starts: DECIBEL mapping (DLPFC EnhanCers fIne tuning Brain-gene Expression across deveLopment) to identify at-risk youth“.

Early psychosis symptoms affect many youth, and some progress to serious mental illness. This study uses genetics and long-term data to identify risk earlier, before symptoms worsen.

Earlier prediction could guide prevention and timely care, helping young people stay healthy, avoid severe illness, and improve lifelong outcomes for families too.

Dr. Sibille is a the Chair and deputy director of the Campbell Family Mental Health Institute and a senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). He is also a profesor of psychiatry at U of T.

Reasons for Hope has provided funding for his study, Targeting BDNF/TrkB for the Prevention and Treatment of Adolescent Mood Disorders.

Depression and anxiety often begin in adolescence, especially in girls. This study tests a new drug that boosts the brain’s natural growth protein, BDNF, in stressed, adolescent mice.

Results could lead to better prevention and treatment, supporting brain health, thinking skills, and emotional wellbeing in young people.

Dr. Bhat is a staff psychiatrist at St. Michael’s Hospital Centre for Depression and Suicide Studies and Toronto Western Hospital’s Poul Hansen Depression Centre. He is also an associate professor of psychiatry at U of T.

He received a 2021 Reasons for Hope grant to pursue a landmark feasibility study to determine the real-world utility of digital interventions for patients receiving ketamine treatment for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) — rates of which are increasing in young populations.

His study sought to monitor young patients with TRD in real-time and collect data to explore and predict treatment outcomes — providing the necessary feasibility data that can translate into digital interventions, prevent remission and relapse, as well as improve treatment outcomes for young adults with TRD.

Dr. De Luca is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the U of T, a Psychiatrist and Clinician Scientist in the Complex Mental Illness Program/Schizophrenia Services, the Geriatric Psychiatry Division and the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Dr. De Luca received a 2016 Reasons for Hope grant to study the interaction of early life adversities and schizophrenia vulnerability genes in young people, focusing on how this relates to suicide risk.

Dr. Diaconescu is a scientist with the Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at U of T.

Dr. Diaconecu received a 2023 Reasons for Hope grant for her team’s work identifying neural signals that could predict the onset of psychosis. Their goal is that this could provide clinicians with enhanced tools to better diagnose and manage symptoms in young people with a high risk for schizophrenia.

This study will examine electrical activity in participants’ brains, recording signals set off by the brain in response to different stimuli. By observing participants over time, researchers will evaluate specific signals to determine if they are reliable indicators of psychosis, while also deciphering the mechanisms involved.

Ultimately, the project seeks to enhance early intervention strategies and improve outcomes for young people living with schizophrenia by offering more precise, personalized therapies.

Dr. Gerretsen is a clinician-scientist with the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and at the University Health Network (UHN). He is also an associate professor of psychiatry at U of T.

Dr. Gerretsen received a 2018 Reasons for Hope grant in support of his project exploring whether a technique known as transcranial direct-current stimulation — a non-invasive method that uses electrodes on the scalp to modulate nervous system activity — could help schizophrenia patients stick to their treatment plans.

Previous work has shown that this stimulation may improve insight into illness among those suffering from schizophrenia. Dr. Gerretsen sought to find out if this could also help patients maintain their treatment plans and continue taking their prescribed medications.

Dr. Gonçalves is a project scientist of molecular brain sciences at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and an assistant professor of psychiatry at U of T.

She received a 2018 Reasons for Hope grant for her project This study explored how tiny differences in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) — the part of our cells that helps produce energy — may be linked to psychosis in young people, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Because the brain needs a lot of energy to function, changes in this mtDNA could affect brain development and how different regions function.

During their study, researchers analyzed genetic data from 550 youth and compared it to brain scans. They found that certain mtDNA changes were linked to differences in brain structure in areas important for thinking, emotions and decision‑making.

Their findings suggest that mtDNA plays a role in brain structure with potential to influence clinically meaningful outcomes, including cognitive deficits and psychiatric symptoms.

The study is now being written up for publication and next steps include testing these findings in larger groups. This research could help move mental health care toward more personalized treatments in the future.

Dr. Goldstein is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry, pharmacology, and psychological clinical science at U of T. He is currently the scientific director of the Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and previously served as the director of the Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder and Director of Research in the Department of Psychiatry at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

Dr. Goldstein was awarded a 2017 Reasons for Hope Grant to explore microvascular pathology as an underlying biological contributor to bipolar disorder and advance new approaches to early treatment and prevention of the illness.

Now completed, this study connecting heart and brain health in mental illness — especially in youth — was a new idea at the time. The project showed clear differences in blood flow and vessel function in teens with bipolar disorder and helped launch a major new area of research. Findings, supported by Reasons for Hope, led to many published studies, new research grants and ongoing work aimed at earlier detection, prevention and better long‑term health for young people with mood disorders.

Dr. Hahn’s innovative case-control study design measures insulin resistance (IR) and blood-brain barrier (BBB) leakage in first episode psychosis (FEP) young patients.

This new work could help identify vitally important early biomarkers of this disease and may also predict clinical, functional and cognitive outcomes in young patients experiencing FEP — ultimately providing insights into mechanisms that may serve as early targets for FEP intervention.

Dr. Hawke is a staff scientist with Education Research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and an assistant professor in psychiatry at U of T.

Dr. Hawke received a 2023 Reasons for Hope grant for their work piloting a particular therapeutic model that includes peer support for reducing self-stigma in youth with multiple mental health challenges.

Youth with multiple mental illness have a high risk of holding negative attitudes and perceptions about their illness, their abilities and their worth.

The team has adapted narrative enhancement and cognitive therapy (NECT) group treatment – which has been shown to reduce self-stigma in adult patients with psychosis – for youth.

They will assess the approach to determine its feasibility and impact – ultimately seeking to confirm whether NECT group therapy can be used to help young people with multiple mental health challenges build a healthy identity in their personal recovery journeys.

Dr. Husain is a clinician scientist and staff psychiatrist in the Division of General and Health Systems Psychiatry at CAMH, as well as an assistant professor of brain and therapeutics in U of T’s Department of Psychiatry.

Dr. Husain received a 2019 Reasons for Hope grant for his study investigating whether bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with accelerated aging.

Recent research has uncovered symptoms of advanced aging in those suffering from BD. Dr. Husain’s study aims to investigate these changes on the molecular level and will follow patients from a young age in order to determine if the physical changes are associated with more severe BD.

From this study, Dr. Husain aims to discover a set of markers that would allow him to manage BD based on severity. By building a better understanding of the biological aspects of BD, it could allow scientists to predict recurrences and mitigate their worst affects for patients.

Dr. Husain is developing the Optimal Health Program which will deliver evidence-based comprehensive psychosocial and mental health supports to Clinical High Risk (CHR) youths — a population which is particularly vulnerable to developing psychosis.

The program will focus on appropriate interventions that can reduce a lifetime risk of self-harm and attempted suicide.

With the new Optimal Health Program, Dr. Husain hopes to improve functioning, reduce distress and build resiliency in CHR individuals through virtual care provided via a web-based portal and a digital toolkit that seeks to facilitate ongoing skills development and intervention delivery.

Dr. Kiang is an associate professor of psychiatry at the U of T, a clinician-scientist in the Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and a psychiatrist in the Schizophrenia Division of CAMH’s Complex Mental Illness Program.

Dr. Kiang was awarded a 2017 Reasons for Hope grant to study auditory steady-state response (ASR) abnormalities within individuals with clinical high risk (CHR) for schizophrenia.

During the project, which is now completed, he and his team recorded brainwaves using simple, non‑invasive tests while participants listened to sounds and processed language.

The study found that a brainwave linked to processing of meaningful relationships between concepts was especially helpful in predicting how youth would do over time.

These findings helped build a long‑term brainwave database and led to many published studies.

Overall, this research has provided evidence supporting the use of brain signals to guide earlier, more targeted mental health care for young people at risk.

Dr. Kolla is an assistant professor of psychiatry with U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine and holds a number of other academic appointments with the university. He is vice-president of research and academics of Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care. He is a staff psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in the Minimum Secure Forensic Ward and a clinician scientist in CAMH’s Research Imaging Centre.

Dr. Kolla received a 2017 Reasons for Hope grant in support of a study exploring whether it may be possible to prospectively identify young individuals who are at ultra-high risk for schizophrenia and violence. Findings of key biomarkers would also help reduce the stigmatization of all patients with schizophrenia as habitually violent.

Dr. Korczak is a staff psychiatrist at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and an associate professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at U of T.

She received a 2020 Reasons for Hope grant for her project that used real-time data from thousands of children and their families taken throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and into the recovery period to evaluate the impact of loss of school time, as well as social and extracurricular activities, on mental health.

Researchers found that about 70 per cent of childen experienced worsening mental health after the pandemic began. Many continued to struggle for years, especially those who felt socially isolated or had learning disrupted by school closures. Those who learned online reported worse mental health than those who attended school in-person.

The findings helped shape mental health services, school policies, public health decisions and education programs, and clearly showed how important social connection, family well‑being and in‑person learning are for young people’s mental health.

Dr. Naeem is chief of general and health systems psychiatry at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and a professor of psychiatry at U of T.

He received a 2019 Reasons for Hope grant for a project exploring whether smartphones and artificial intelligence could help spot early warning signs of psychosis relapse in young adults through the analysis of their speech.

Participants used a mobile app to record short speech samples, like talking freely, describing pictures or reading short passages.

Researchers analyzed how people spoke, including patterns in words and sounds, to see if changes could predict worsening mental health.

The study followed 49 young adults over one year and found strong engagement, with many participants comfortable using this technology. The research showed that speech analysis is practical in real-life settings and helped lay the foundation for larger studies aimed at preventing relapse and reducing hospitalizations.

Dr. Neufeld is a clinician-scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and an assistant professor of psychiatry at U of T.

Dr. Neufeld and his team of researchers received a 2024 Reasons for Hope grant for their work studying the relationship between sleep and psychosis during inpatient admissions, when patients are experiencing some of their most challenging symptoms.

This study will have participants (all of whom are between 16 and 35 years of age) wear a Fitbit during their admission to the hospital. The sleep data from the Fitbits will then be compared to their clinical symptoms.

This novel study will provide important data for future studies focusing on early detection and prevention of relapse as participants transition from inpatient to outpatient settings. It will also inform future studies in the treatment of sleep problems in young people with psychosis.

Dr. Nikolova is an assistant professor in psychiatry at U of T and a scientist in the Neurobiology of Depression and Aging Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

Dr. Nikolova received a 2023 Reasons for Hope grant to support her work exploring a new brain pathway centered on the FREM3 gene that may be an effective target for the treatment of depression.

Human brain studies suggest that depression (which is typically first diagnosed in young adulthood) is associated with fewer connections in brain regions supporting mood and thought regulation. This may be due to reduced plasticity – the ability of the brain to wire and rewire itself in response to experiences.

This study will explore the role of the FREM3 gene in shaping brain plasticity and depression risk.

Dr. Ortiz is a senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neurosciences and Clinical Translation at U of T.

Dr. Ortiz received a 2023 Reasons for Hope grant for her work on improving treatment “precision” (i.e., prescribing the right treatment for a specific patient at the right time) and thus improve the quality of life of youth with complex mood disorders.

In this project, she and her team will build Digital Twins for each study participant. Then, using several data sources (e.g., clinical and wearable data), they will employ an algorithm to weigh factors that predict the trajectory of response to specific treatments.

It is ultimately hoped that this effort can contribute to the development of more personalized, early treatments in youth with complex mood disorders.

Dr. Polillo is a staff scientist with the Slaight Family Centre for Youth in Transition at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and an assistant professor of psychiatry at U of T.

She and her team received a 2024 Reasons for Hope grant for their work studying how social media usage impacts sleep, emotion and mental health symptoms in youth with mental illness.

Using mobile apps to track social media usage and daily mood, as well as Fitbit watches to monitor sleep, the team aims to understand the links between social media usage, mood and sleep, and to identify new social media usage markers for the early detection of mental illness.

Dr. Sediqzadah is a clinician-investigator and Continuing Medical Education Lead in the Department of Psychiatry at St. Michael’s Hospital and an assistant professor in Temerty Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry.

She and her team received a 2024 Reasons for Hope grant for their work developing a tool that helps young patients with psychosis make informed, personalized health decisions, while also reducing self-stigma and decreasing the risk of future episodes.

This Patient Decision Aid will be the first tool of its kind for early-phase psychosis in patients aged 14-35 and will be co-designed by patients, families and health-care providers to guide treatment decisions.

Dr. Sinyor is a staff psychiatrist at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and an associate professor of neurosciences and clinical translation in U of T’s Department of Psychiatry.

Dr. Sinyor received Reasons for Hope grants in both 2020 and 2024 for his work employing the popular children’s Harry Potter novels to improve youth experiences of cognitive behaviour therapy.

First funded as a school-based program, and since expanded to hospital-based settings, the team’s MyOWL intervention that seeks to teach youth coping skills and emotional resiliency.

Results have shown that the program helps young people manage distress – including lowering symptoms of depression and anxiety – and may also help with hospital-based patient care engagement (i.e. how many youth stay in treatment and for how long, the degree to which they like each treatment, and the program’s impact on their mood and anxiety symptoms.)

Dr. Tempelaar is is a clinician-investigator at the Slaight Family Centre for Youth in Transition and a staff psychiatrist in the Slaight Early Intervention Clinic at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), as well as an associate professor of psychiatry at U of T’. Dr. Kozloff is a child and adolescent Psychiatrist and clinician scientist in the Slaight Family Centre for Youth in Transition in the Child, Youth and Emerging Adult Program at CAMH. She also consults to community agencies providing mental health services to youth and serves as an associate professor of child and youth mental health at U of T.

Drs Tempelaar and Kozloff received a 2020 Reasons for Hoe grant for their joint project adapting the evidence-based virtual care model, e-NAVIGATE.

This model is based on the evidence-based NAVIGATE treatment program, which has been demonstrated to improve outcomes for people with early psychosis.

Researchers looked at the experiences of young people, families and care providers, and studied how virtual care affected engagement and quality of treatment. They identified what worked well and what didn’t, sharing these lessons through research papers and a practical guide for clinics in order to leverage existing supports and additional resources to improve delivery.

The project helped ensure young people continued to receive high‑quality care during the pandemic and supported long‑term use of both virtual and in‑person services.

Dr. Voineskos is an associate professor of psychiatry at U of T, director of the Slaight Family Centre for Youth in Transition at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and head of the Kimel Family Translational Imaging-Genetics Laboratory, CAMH. He is a Canada Research Chair in Neuroimaging of Schizophrenia.

Dr. Henderson is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at U of T, director of the Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth & Family Mental Health and interim implementation director of the Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression at CAMH. Dr. Henderson is also a clinician scientist in the Child, Youth and Emerging Adult Program at CAMH.

Drs. Henderson and Voineskos received a 2016 Reasons for Hope grant to study new approaches for the identification of early signs of psychosis spectrum symptoms.

Dr. Vorstman is the SickKids Psychiatry Associates Chair in Developmental Psychopathology at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), and also serves as an associate professor of consultation/liaison psychiatry at U of T.

Dr. Vorstman received a 2019 Reasons for Hope grant for his work exploring the use of smartphone technology for the early detection of bipolar disorder among youth.

Dr. Wong is a senior scientist and a psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). He is also a professor in the departments of Psychiatry, and Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Toronto.

He received a 2023 Reasons for Hope grant in support of work developing and evaluating a novel, early-detection method for schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia typically emerges in late adolescence to early adulthood and its initial symptoms are subtle and non-specific – making early diagnosis and treatment challenging.

This study is employing the electroencephalogram and a novel test of event timing perception to measure aspects of brain dysfunction that may contribute to the formation of delusions, a core schizophrenia symptom. Ultimately, this work could help grow understanding how schizophrenia arises and lead to ways of predicting who will develop the illness, and novel treatments.

Dr. Wong is a neuroscientist and psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and a professor of psychiatry at U of T. Dr. Liu is a senior scientist and the head of molecular neuroscience at CAMH’s Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute as well as a professor in U of T’s Departments of Psychiatry and Physiology and its Institute of Medical Science.

Drs. Wong and Liu received a 2018 Reasons for Hope for their joint project researching a clinical test to identify schizophrenia early.  An earlier diagnosis would allow doctors to create better, more effective treatment plans.

These researchers previously found that a particular protein complex was present in the brain tissue of schizophrenia patients. This project investigates whether detecting this protein complex in the blood could be a way to diagnose schizophrenia early.

Dr. Wright is a psychiatrist and clinician-teacher at Women’s College Hospital, a psychiatrist at SickKids and an assistant professor at Temerty Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry.

She and her team received a 2024 Reasons for Hope grant for their work seeking the best ways to support the mental health of siblings of children with medical complexity.

They have created a support model that screens for mental health difficulties in siblings aged 10-18 through online surveys and provides access to supports like social workers and child psychiatrists, where appropriate.

This pilot study will test if the model is feasible, if siblings will use it, and will gather information on sibling mental health patterns.