Mary Bartram, PhD, RSW is a J.W. McConnell Visiting Scholar. Bartram's extensive experience in mental health and substance use health policy includes research, teaching, and program implementation in collaboration with federal and territorial governments, Indigenous organizations, and NGOs. In her most recent role as CEO of Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services, she led strategic initiatives in the community services sector. In her previous Director roles at the Mental Health Commission of Canada, she championed integrated approaches to mental health and substance use, managed investments in 40 research projects on cannabis and mental health, and was a key leader in the development of the Mental Health Strategy for Canada. She has also worked with Indigenous organizations at Health Canada to advance mental wellness priorities.
In addition to her leadership roles, Bartram is an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University's School of Public Policy and Administration, where she teaches mental health and substance use health policy. She holds a PhD in Public Policy from Carleton University and has conducted postdoctoral research at both McGill University and the University of Ottawa. Her research has focused on the mental health and substance use health workforce, harm reduction, equity in access to psychotherapy, and system financing. A Registered Social Worker, Bartram also holds an MSc in Family Therapy from Purdue University.
Selected Publications:
- Bartram, M., & Leslie, K. (2025, February 16). Expanding the Canada Health Act must include mental health and substance use health. The Hill Times. https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/02/12/expanding-the-canada-health-act-must-include-mental-health-and-substance-use-health/450961/
- Atanackovic, J., Bartram, M., et al. (2025). Policy options for a pan-Canadian mental health and substance use health workforce strategy. Healthcare Management Forum, 38(4), 376-383. https://doi.org/10.1177/08404704251329040
- Roberts, R., Bartram, M., Kalenteridis, K., & Quesnel-Vallée, A. (2021). Improving access to home and community care: An analysis of the 2017 Health Accord. Health Reform Observer – Observatoire des Réformes de Santé, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.13162/hro-ors.v9i1.4367
- Bartram, M. (2021). ‘It’s really about wellbeing’: A Canadian investigation of harm reduction as a bridge between mental health and addiction recovery. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 19, 1497–1510. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00239-7
- Bartram, M. (2019). Income-based inequities in access to mental health services in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 110, 395–403. https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-019-00204-5
- Bartram, M. (2017). Making the most of the federal investment of $5 billion for mental health. Canadian Medication Association Journal, 189(44), E1360-E1363. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.170738
