Grant: Applied Public Health Chair - LOI

Although there is increasing evidence about effective mental health promotion strategies, there is a big gap between what research about best practices says and what happens in the real world. My research program focuses on this gap between evidence-based practice for mental health promotion, and real world systems and practices, with respect to two major issues. First, under what circumstances and in what manner should evidence-based mental health promotion and violence prevention programs be adapted for First Nations and other Aboriginal populations, and how can the impact of these adaptations be appropriately evaluated? Second, how can we best design, implement, and support evidence-based programming in schools and communities in such a way that maximizes the fidelity and sustainability of programming? These issues are being investigated through three research directions. The first direction is the evaluation of an evidence-based program for youth that has been adapted and expanded for use with First Nations youth. This program is being rigorously evaluated in southwestern Ontario and more formatively evaluated in Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The second research direction is an evaluation of the acceptability, feasibility, effectiveness and scalability of the Mental Health First Aid course that has been developed specifically for a First Nations context and has been implemented in three communities. The third research direction is an evaluation of the barriers and successes involved with a province-wide implementation in Alberta of an evidence-based program for adolescents. Across all three of these directions there is a commitment to work closely with decision-makers and knowledge users to ensure relevant information and useful tools emerge from the research process.