About Us

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.

BCMHAS is committed to strengthening capacity for research, knowledge exchange and academic teaching to enhance understanding and skills among service providers, policymakers and the public. Areas of focus include: Schizophrenia, using state-of-the-art brain imaging techniques to study the mechanism of illness, origin of symptoms, and changes in response to treatment; Bipolar Disorder, including laboratory studies investigating stress-related changes in brain proteins; Studies on the genetic, phenotypic, and developmental aspects of Childhood Disorders, including autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), spanning childhood to early adulthood; and Pharmacology studies, linked to research in progress at BC Children’s Hospital, to examine medication side-effects, particularly in relation to metabolism and weight changes.

Research occurs across all BCMHAS service provision areas:

• Adult Psychiatry
• Forensic Psychiatric Services
• Child & Adolescent Mental Health Programs
• BC Provincial Specialized Eating Disorders Program

Researchers, clinical staff, and physicians across BCMHAS are actively involved in research and education. These activities are intended to support advances in mental health and addictions services province-wide.