Grant: Training Grant

Mental health and addiction disorders account for five of the top ten leading causes of disability worldwide. The reasons why people develop these illnesses are complex with biological, psychological and social factors interacting at multiple levels. Biological investigation, such as molecular, genetic, and brain-imaging research increased understanding of the mechanisms involved but this work needs to be combined with an understanding of social processes in order to convert discoveries into public health advances. The quality and quantity of mental health researchers with expertise in social causation has not kept pace with those interested in biology. The recent World Health Organization report, "Closing the Gap in a Generation" underlines the importance of social determinants in improving health and notes improved training of health researchers is vital. Sophisticated inter-disciplinary expertise is required to integrate work on social, psychological, and biological causes. In Canada, an advanced research training program is needed to encourage the development of evidence-based prevention methods and effective ways to deal with the social determinants of recovery. The Social Aetiology of Mental Illness training program will create a new generation of advanced experts through an interdisciplinary collaboration focusing on the social determinants of mental disorders and models of causation. It will train researchers from diverse fields including medicine, health sciences, social work, and social sciences and produce a new cadre of researchers equipped to investigate causation and ultimately translate into health prevention and promotion initiatives. It will produce national and international networks of interested professionals that will further build capacity while leading the field. The faculty, from a number of institutions in Canada, the USA, the UK, and the Netherlands are world experts.