BC Mental Health & Addictions Research Institute (BCMHARI)

Creating knowledge...Changing minds

The BC Mental Health & Addictions Research Institute (BCMHARI) is dedicated to conducting basic, clinical, and applied research to improve the understanding and treatment of mental illness and substance use problems.

Recent News

July 26, 2013

CIHR and MSFHR Awards for BCMHAS Research Trainees

Several BC Mental Health and Addiction Services research trainees won post-doctoral fellowship awards in recent funding competitions.

Dr. Alicia Semaka won Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) and Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) awards for her project: Exploring how the process of genetic counselling influences outcomes for individuals with serious mental illnesses. The CIHR award is a 3-year post-doctoral fellowship, valued at $135,000. Her MSFHR award is a Knowledge Translation Science trainee award.  Dr. Semaka works under the supervision of BC Mental Health & Addictions Research Institute (BCMHARI) investigator Dr. Jehannine Austin.

Dr. Alfredo Ramos-Miguel was awarded a MSFHR post-doctoral fellowship award for his project: Screening and development of molecules targeting presynaptic snare protein-protein interactions as novel pharmacological strategy in schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. Dr. Ramos-Miguel works under the supervision of Dr. William Honer.

Catherine Wilson was also awarded a MSFHR post-doctoral fellowship award, valued at 3 years and $111,000 (plus travel), for her project: Linking risk assessment, risk management, and treatment: Enhancing the successful community integration of individuals released from the forensic mental health system. Catherine works under the supervision of Forensic senior research fellow Dr. Tonia Nicholls.

Congratulations to these trainees.

July 12, 2013

Undergraduate Awards for BCMHARI Trainees

Several BC Mental Health and Addictions Research Institute undergraduate students were the recipients of summer student awards.

Claire Wu and Ryan Lo,  undergraduate students in the Department of Pharmacology at UBC, have each won summer Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Undergraduate Student Research Awards, valued at $4500 each, out of only a handful of these awards given out by the Faculty of Medicine this year. This highly competitive award will allow Claire and Ryan to study with their mentors, Drs Catherine Pang and Alasdair Barr, on preclinical projects related to drug side-effects.

Summer Student Research Program awards have also been awarded to the following students and their supervisors to conduct research at BCMHARI this summer:

• Gigi Tuet (1st year undergraduate medicine at UBC), supervisor: Dr Ric Procyshyn
• Chrison Wong (1st year undergraduate medicine at UBC), supervisor: Dr Donna Lang
• Amanzo Ho (2nd year undergraduate medicine at UBC), supervisor: Dr Alasdair Barr
• Claire Wu (undergraduate student in Department of Pharmacology at UBC), supervisor: Dr Catherine Pang
• Touraj Khosravi (undergraduate student in Department of Pharmacology at UBC), supervisor: Dr Fidel Vila-Rodriguez
• Toby Schmitt (undergraduate student in Department of Pharmacology at UBC), supervisor: Dr Geoff Smith

Congratulations to these trainees.

June 4, 2013

BCMHAS Psychologist & Researcher Selected for SPARK Training Institute

Dr. Janet Mah has been selected to participate in the 2013 SPARK Training Institute. SPARK (Supporting the Promotion of Activated Research and Knowledge) is an initiative of the Mental Health Commission of Canada that brings together participants from across the country for a fully funded 2-day workshop with knowledge exchange professionals, followed by ongoing mentoring. The program's goal is to teach participants techniques for quickly moving evidence-informed research into practice.

Dr. Mah is a researcher and a psychologist in the Provincial ADHD Program of the Children's Mental Health Outpatient Program. She was selected to participate for her proposal focused on raising awareness of ADHD among Chinese immigrant families.

June 4, 2013

Multiple Awards for Woodward Lab Trainees

There was much to celebrate in BCMHARI researcher Dr. Todd Woodward's lab in the month of April. Three trainees were the recipients of awards including CIHR scholarship awards. Paul Metzak, a graduate student and research trainee, received a 3-year CIHR doctoral research award for patient oriented research for his project: Multimodal imaging of functional networks involved in selective attention in schizophrenia. The award is valued at $105,000.

Katie Lavigne, a research trainee completing her Master's degree, was awarded a 3-year $105,000 scholarship for her research on schizophrenia. The award is funded by CIHR and the Mind Foundation.

Dr. KaWai Leong, a research track resident in the UBC Department of Psychiatry, was awarded a Resident Psychiatric Research Scholars Fellowship award from the American Psychiatric Association. The one year fellowship focuses on clinical and health services research in psychiatry and includes mentorship opportunities and a $2500 award to assist with their research.

Dr. Todd Woodward is a BCMHARI researcher and an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry at UBC. Dr. Woodward's research focuses on cognitive neuropsychiatry and functional neuroimaging.

March 22, 2013

Early Career Scholar Appointment for Dr. Todd Woodward

Congratulations to BC Mental Health and Addictions Research Institute (BCMHARI) research scientist Dr. Todd Woodward, who was selected for an appointment in the 2013-2014 Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies Early Career Scholar Program. The mission of the Peter Wall Institute is to promote basic, interdisciplinary, collaborative research and the objective of the Early Scholar Program is to bring outstanding UBC early-career researchers together to share ideas and research approaches.

Dr. Woodward is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, at UBC and one of 14 researchers, representing several different faculties, who was invited to participate. Dr. Woodward’s research focuses on cognitive neuropsychiatry and functional neuroimaging.

March 11, 2013

Research Fellowship Position

BC Mental Health & Addictions Research Institute Research Fellowship
Position offered in the areas of OCD/Tourette’s Disorder

The BC Mental Health & Addictions Research Institute (BCMHARI) is looking for a research fellow in the areas of OCD and Tourette’s Disorder. The position is available for one year, renewable for a second year. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to work jointly with the OCD and Neuropsychiatry Clinics at BC Mental Health & Addiction Services (BCMHAS). These busy tertiary care clinical programs serve a large volume of patients from the coolsupting in the Vancouver area and British Columbia at large. Both clinics are multidisciplinary in nature and include psychiatrists, psychologists, social work, nursing and support staff. Ongoing projects in the OCD clinic include those focused on CBT outcome, family functioning, neurocognition, MRI imaging, and endophenotypes. The Neuropsychiatry clinic has recently developed a Tic clinic and has started offering new behavioral treatment for Tourette’s, using the Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) protocol. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to explore their research interests in a supportive, intellectually stimulating environment. Potential areas for research projects range from studying the effects of stigma of Tourette’s and OCD, to the effectiveness of CBIT in comorbid Tourette’s and OCD.

Applicants should send their curriculum vitae along with a brief (1-2 paragraph) summary of their research interests in the areas of OCD/Tourette’s Disorder and the above projects.

With support from BC Mental Health & Addiction Services (BCMHAS), an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), BCMHARI works in close partnership with the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the University of Victoria, and other academic and research partners. Research occurs across all BCMHAS service provision areas including the Child and Adolescent Mental Health programs at BC Children’s Hospital. For more information on BCMHARI and faculty, please visit our website www.bcmhari.ca.

For further information on this and other opportunities, please contact:
Karin Jackson
Director, Research Administration & Performance Improvement
BC Mental Health & Addictions Research Institute
[email protected]

BCMHARI hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. We encourage all qualified persons to apply. Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

February 19, 2013

Academic Clinical Researcher

BCMHARI, in partnership with the Department of Psychiatry and the Institute of Mental Health in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC, and with support from BC Mental Health & Addiction Services (BCMHAS) invites applications for a position as a full-time academic clinical researcher.

Applications will begin to be considered April 1, 2013. For further information, including application requirements, please contact:

Karin Jackson
Director, Research Administration & Performance Improvement
BC Mental Health & Addictions Research Institute
[email protected]

Please note: BCMHARI is no longer accepting applications for this position.

 

February 12, 2013

Dr. Evelyn Stewart's Research Featured on the Discovery Channel

As part of Bell’s “Let’s Talk Day� mental health awareness campaign Tuesday Feb 12th, the Discovery Channel Canada will be airing a segment during the Daily Planet featuring  BC Mental Health & Addiction Services (BCMHAS) psychiatrist Dr. Evelyn Stewart, highlighting  her research on childhood Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Daily Planet is a science and technology based program. The segment with Dr. Stewart will focus on her research on children with OCD and their unaffected siblings, and how technology may help find better ways to indentify and treat children at risk for OCD earlier. The segment will air Tuesday, Feb 12 at 4pm (PST) or it can be viewed beginning Feb 13 at http://watch.discoverychannel.ca/#clip864167.

The OCD clinic is part of the Children’s and Women’s Mental Health Program and provides collaborative multidisciplinary treatment and support for B.C. children affected by OCD and their families, The OCD program increases capacity for community-based treatment and aims to further our understanding of OCD in children and youth, through research and the development of innovative treatment approaches. This interdisciplinary childhood OCD clinic is the first of its kind in Canada.