Toronto, ON – The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is proud to announce its place among the 2024 Research Infosource list of Canada’s Top 40 Research Hospitals, reaffirming its role as a national leader in mental health and addiction research. In an unprecedented achievement, CAMH reached $100.04 million in research spending during the 2022-23 fiscal year, a 15.5 per cent increase from the previous year, and a testament to the institution’s unwavering commitment to advancing care.
CAMH is now ranked 1st in Canada among medium-sized hospitals for research spending, as well as 1st for ‘hospital intensity,’ which analyzes research spending as a percentage of total hospital spending. CAMH also progresses to 2nd place in its category for ‘researcher intensity,’ the amount of research spending per researcher. Looking forward, CAMH anticipates even further growth and productivity, with its research-related spending for 2023-24 surpassing $115 million.
In just three years, CAMH research spending has grown by 45 per cent, up from $79.7 million in 2020-2021. In 2023-24, CAMH was home to 1,544 total research scientists, trainees and staff, host to a total of 653 active human participant research studies examining everything from brain imaging to better diagnose concussions, to novel treatments for addiction, to large-scale cohort studies to better understand and treat youth mental illness.
“This milestone — surpassing $100 million in research spending and leading in medium-sized hospital research spending — highlights CAMH’s leadership in advancing mental health research, and in research in Canada overall” says Dr. Aristotle Voineskos, CAMH Senior Vice-President of Research and Science. “As we look to the future with the new Temerty Discovery Centre, we are strengthening our ability to unite knowledge and enhance discovery in brain health sciences. CAMH is setting the standard for innovation in mental health and addiction research, continually improving and advancing care and knowledge in Canada and globally.”
Overall, CAMH has advanced to 13th place among the country’s top 40 leading research hospitals. Some of CAMH’s 2024 stand-out research stories include:
- A CAMH study confirmed a natural supplement prevents postpartum blues and reduces symptoms of postpartum depression over the following six months after giving birth. CAMH has partnered with international women’s health supplement and pharmaceutical company Exeltis via a licensing agreement to bring the product to market under the name Blues Away®.
- CAMH research found that nearly 75 per cent of young Ontarians with a psychotic disorder had at least one mental health service visit within three years prior to their first diagnosis of the disorder.
- CAMH study shows alcohol rehabilitation and abstinence reduce the risk of alcohol-associated cancers by nearly 40 per cent.
- A CAMH study estimated that teens using cannabis are at 11 times higher risk of developing a psychotic disorder compared to teens not using cannabis.
- A CAMH-led Toronto Dementia Research Alliance (TDRA) study has demonstrated that a combination therapy can slow cognitive decline in older adults at risk for dementia.
- CAMH-led study reveals the life-saving potential of extended-release buprenorphine for opioid use disorder treatment in correctional settings.
This past year CAMH also proudly announced the Temerty Discovery Centre, a 385,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that will revolutionize mental health research and care. Once completed, this cutting-edge centre will unite CAMH’s research teams, increase research capacity by 43 per cent, and accelerate the integration of discoveries into practice to transform mental health care worldwide.
Find out more about research at CAMH.
