Grant: Applied Public Health Chair - LOI

Mental, emotional and behavioral disorders are very common among young people in Canada and interfere with their ability to succeed in school, establish healthy relationships and make their way into the workforce. The Institute of Medicine 2009 report stresses the importance of focusing on keeping children and youth mentally healthy and on preventing mental illness from developing in the first place instead of waiting until an illness is well established and has caused considerable suffering. As an Applied Public Health Chair applicant, I am well situated to support high-quality research that is relevant to promoting mental health of children, youth and their families in a manner that engages service providers, decision makers, researchers and graduate students. The Healthy Child Manitoba Office, which works with 10 government departments, has agreed to collaborate with me in achieving the following objectives: 1) learning more about how children and their families develop mental disorders 2) learning more about what works to improve the mental well-being of children, youth and families and also what works in closing the gap in the mental health of children living in poverty and those who are not, 3) ensuring that people overseeing the mental health field are involved with the research and keep the findings in mind when planning programs and developing policies and 4) mentoring graduate students and new researchers to prepare the next generation of mental health researchers. The lessons learned in mental health promotion of young people will be useful to other Canadian provinces. Over the next five years, we will be in a better position to understand what works and for whom as well as how and why it works in promoting good mental health for Canadian young people and their families.