One of the lasting memories of the pandemic for me will be how the world was able to tackle a big and urgent problem that presented more questions than answers and yet deliver health recommendations and approved vaccines in arms in previously unimaginable speed. Bringing together multi-disciplinary teams of scientists, clinicians, elected and government officials, business leaders and citizens who were all willing to be a part of the solution and share data openly was critical to success. We also know that countries where research is more connected to care were particularly efficient in generating key knowledge.

That fresh example serves to remind us here at The Royal of what we can accomplish together for our clients as we bring together research and care. Working together – researchers, clinicians, clients and families, and healthcare professionals – in our learning organization, we are creating multidisciplinary teams to untangle the complex biology of the brain, to design novel approaches, and to provide access to care through cutting-edge research.

The pandemic serves to inspire us to be bold in our aspirations and impatient on behalf of our clients in translating the findings of research into novel and integrated approaches to prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Equally, we collaborate outside The Royal, with leading institutions across our country that are in turn creating multidisciplinary teams. For example, through our partnership with CAMH’s Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, the Heart Institute, and the Brain & Mind Research Institute, we are studying the connections between mental and physical health, which are intrinsically linked.

We are also working with the University of Ottawa’s Interdisciplinary Centre for Black Health, which brings together researchers with diverse expertise in medicine, nursing, nutrition, psychology, sociology, economics, law, public health, and epidemiology to study the determinants of health in Black communities in Canada, and to provide culturally sensitive care.

These are just two examples of how the IMHR has put cross-collaboration into practice in the past year. But perhaps the most rewarding is how we work with our clients and families. Putting our clients at the centre of their care improves outcomes and informs how we are able to provide access to care through research. Our Clinical Brain Research Centre, which builds on the successes of the Brain Imaging Centre and will integrate our research platforms into the clinical workflows, is a great example of this – bringing together the pillars of research, care, lived expertise and learning – and we are excited to see what it brings.

All of this is made possible by our generous donors, without whom this world-leading technology would be out of reach. We do not take their trust in science and in our research for granted. Their generosity serves to amplify the urgency of our undertaking to deliver impact to our clients.

Of course, all of this couldn’t happen without very talented researchers and trainees who are driven by curiosity and commitment to our purpose, as well as a keen understanding that mental health research saves lives today, and tomorrow. Our brilliant researchers are rewriting the future of mental health care. Their work creates hope today.

Florence Dzierszinski
President of the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research and Vice President of Research

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While many of the factors of mental health are biological, the world around us clearly has a meaningful impact. The last few years have been particularly difficult for all of us: a pandemic which threatened not only our physical well-being but also our mental health due to isolation and a curtailment of exercise, social media that influences our societal values both individually and in the community at large. As a community, we have been through a lot, and many people have had their mental health and well being challenged in the last two years.

At the same time, we have worked hard as a country to destigmatize mental illness, to educate people that mental health is critical in our overall wellness, and that the connection between physical and mental health is undeniable. It is important that more people seek help. It is heartening that we are making progress on this front, but at the same time, the increase in people willing to seek help, and the increased demand in the last few years has created greater pressure on the system to expand access to care. We have to ensure that every dollar spent on mental health creates tangible and measurable impact.

I am immensely proud of the work that the IMHR is doing to respond to the challenge, creating access to care through cutting-edge research, and in the process providing hope to people who often come to the research team with illnesses that are resistant to other treatments. One of the most innovative areas of our research is repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or rTMS. This is a type of neuromodulation that directly stimulates specific brain circuits that may be dysfunctional in people with major depression. rTMS produces a brief and painless magnetic field that is delivered by placing a coil directly against the scalp. Recent large trials have shown response rates similar to antidepressant medications – about half see a significant reduction in their symptoms, and many achieve complete remission. In Ontario, rTMS treatment is not publicly funded at this time - so for many, the IMHR is their only access to this efficacious and non-pharmacological treatment.

This is just one example of the impact of what is possible when donors, clinicians, researchers, clients and families come together to create new treatments, and above all, hope. To the team at IMHR, to the donors and funding partners who help make this research possible, and to the clients and families that put their trust in us, we thank you.

Steve West

Chair of the Institute of Mental Health Research Board