Catalyst YMH is a network grant which is a collaboration of a number of principal investigators from across several institutions and initiatives. These researchers, along with representatives from our stakeholder groups (youth, family/caregivers, and Indigenous community members) guide the overall leadership of the grant.
Executive Committee
Dr. Jai Shah
Dr. Jai Shah is a psychiatrist and researcher interested in the early phases of psychotic illness (including at-risk populations), early intervention, and the design and delivery of mental health services for youth. He is an Assistant Professor in McGill’s Department of Psychiatry, a Full Researcher at the Douglas Hospital Research Center, and is supported by an FRQS Clinician-Scientist Award. Dr. Shah is Associate Director of the Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP-Montréal), Canada’s leading clinical and research program for early psychosis. Based at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, PEPP-Montréal’s research involves help-seeking populations at risk for psychotic illness and those experiencing a first episode of psychosis. Dr. Shah's current and emerging work includes projects on the neurobiology of stress in at-risk and first episode populations, the content of delusions in early psychosis, early signs and symptoms in the psychosis prodrome, and health services utilization in early psychosis
Dr. Skye Barbic
Dr. Barbic is an Associated Professor at the University of British Columbia and the Head Scientist at Foundry. She is a registered occupational therapist with a clinical sub-specialist interest in the rehabilitation of youth with mental illness. Dr. Barbic's clinical training was at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and she completed my doctoral studies at McGill University. Dr. Barbic completed her post-doctoral fellowship at UBC in the Departments of Psychiatry and Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, which followed her first post-doctoral fellowship, at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto where she applied expertise in health outcomes measurement to the field of psychiatry and mental health rehabilitation.
Dr. Chris Musquash
Christopher Mushquash, Ph.D., C.Psych., is Anishinawbe (Ojibway), and a member of Pawgwasheeng (Pays Plat First Nation). He is also a researcher and clinician, who integrates traditional knowledge into his work, exploring sustainable ways of healing that also addresses systemic problems that Indigenous Peoples, particularly Indigenous youth, continue to face in Canada. Dr. Mushquash’s research and practice has contributed to improved outcomes in Indigenous communities and enhanced understanding of the nature of developmental and intergenerational trauma in First Nations people, improving clinical care for those with substance use difficulties. His research has upended conventional understandings of mental health in Indigenous families and established best practices for engaging Indigenous people in research. Furthermore, his research has directly influenced federal funding policy in First Nations communities, and assisted leaders of those communities to advocate for culturally and contextually informed services for their people.
Dr. Manuela Ferrari
Dr. Manuela Ferrari is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University and a Researcher at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre. She is a recipient of a Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) Chercheurs- Boursiers (Research Scholar Junior 1) and the Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL) New Investigator Start-up Grant. Dr. Ferrari applies participatory design to e-Mental Health interventions to enhance access to care, treatment, and youth engagement with services. She has helped create different digital technologies and interventions for clinical use, including video games, apps, digital assessment and monitoring platforms, and virtual reality/simulation training. In collaboration with the youth, Dr. Ferrari created the Lidic Mind Studio, a state-of-the-art lab with technical equipment and infrastructure to conduct patient engagement research to co-design digital mental health interventions and solutions. Dr. Ferrari’s research is supported and sponsored by provincial (FRQS) and federal (Bell Let’s Talk-Brain Canada, CIHR, NRC, SSRCH) programs, as well as industry and business partners (National Bank of Canada).
Dr. Srividya Iyer
Srividya is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and an Associate Member in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She is a licensed psychologist and a Researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute. Her work focuses on youth mental health and early intervention, including for serious mental health problems such as psychosis. She seeks to ensure that more young people worldwide have timely access to appropriate, youth-friendly mental healthcare and enjoy well-being and social participation. Srividya works closely with young people, families, and health, community and government partners to influence practice and policy in Canada and globally. She leads ACCESS Open Minds, a pan-Canadian network of youth, families, service providers and policymakers across 16 sites serving urban, rural, Indigenous, post-secondary and homeless youths across Canada.
Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos
Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social Work, cross appointed with the Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, at the University of Calgary. She holds a Research Excellence Chair in System Level Interventions for Equitable and Accessible Youth Mental Health Services. She leads national multi-site projects focused on integrated youth services, transitions in care and peer support related to youth mental health, chronic health and child maltreatment. She brings expertise in integrated knowledge translation, community based participatory action research and mixed method designs.
Dr. Deb Chiodo
Dr. Deb Chiodo is the Director of Data Management and Evaluation for Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO) where she works collaboratively with communities and service providers across sectors to lead the evaluation of YWHO initiatives and the development of data systems that support the transformation of Ontario’s mental health and addictions systems. Her research interests have focused on the implementation and scale-up of complex designs in youth mental health and health promotion. Dr. Chiodo is also an adjunct research professor at Western University in the school of Counseling Psychology.
Alyssa Frampton
Alyssa Frampton is the Project Coordinator for the CIHR Catalyst Grant in Youth Mental Health. Her work focuses on the intersections of youth mental health and substance use, community engagement, and research. Alyssa's passion in youth mental health comes from her own lived experience which she now applies to support research and engagement. Alyssa is the past chair of both the ACCESS Open Minds National Youth Council, and the Young Canadians Roundtable on Health.
Clifford Ballentyne
Clifford Ballentyne is the Manager of Youth and Caregiver Engagement for Saskatchewan Integrated Youth Services.
Stakeholder Engagement
Along with our executive committee, the grant is also guided by an early career researcher team, a youth advisory, a family and caregivers advisory, and an Indigenous working group.