The first research and education centre in Canada dedicated to improving care for adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities and mental health challenges.
Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities (HCARDD)
The Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre is one of several Centres of Innovation at CAMH with a focus on research excellence, clinical innovation, education and training, and knowledge exchange concerning neurodevelopmental disabilities and mental health. The centre includes several scientists who work closely with trainees, patient and family advisors to study and develop ways to improve the mental health of this population. Scientists at the centre are running several research projects focused on mental health and disability.
Learn how we are supporting wellness and mental health for people with developmental disabilities and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Azrieli Centre is committed to improving outcomes for a population that has slipped through the cracks for far too long.
Created through a visionary $10.4-million gift from the Azrieli Foundation and directed by Dr. Yona Lunsky, also Director of H-CARDD, this centre is built upon four pillars: Clinical Innovation; Research Excellence; Education and Training; and Knowledge Exchange. Here, we will drive discovery, build greater capacity and train the experts of tomorrow in this field.
Clinical Innovation: Working closely with CAMH's Adult Neurodevelopmental Services, clinician scientists and fellows will train within a rich clinical setting, receiving exposure to a wide range of services for this diverse population.
Research Excellence: The Azrieli Centre will drive innovative research that will lead to better care for this population.
Education and Training: Fellows and clinician scientists will work closely with CAMH Education and Professional Practice to integrate teaching about this population into mental health care curriculum and clinical training opportunities.
Knowledge Exchange: To maximize the reach of discovery and educational efforts, the Azrieli Centre will transform the way information and resources for this population are shared with care providers, patients, their families and the CAMH community.
The Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre will create hope for more complete recovery than ever thought possible. It will help people with both a neurodevelopmental disability and a mental illness reach their true potential. It will share valuable knowledge throughout the province and nationally so no one falls through the cracks. It will create the care that this population—that everyone—deserves.
Dr. Yona Lunsky
Director, Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre
The Centre is the spark. We’re really making something that’s never been done before—and we’re making it here at CAMH.
About 45 per cent of adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities—such as an intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder or Down syndrome—also have a mental illness including addiction, yet this population faces profound challenges in getting the care they need.
Through the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre, we will drive discovery, build greater capacity, and train the experts of tomorrow in this field. The ripple effect of this work will reach across Canada and ultimately around the world. We will drive clinical care, research, education and training—and share our knowledge globally.
CAMH has already demonstrated a clear commitment to responding to this urgent need and improving care in this field through our clinical services, in which rich clinical and research training is available, and through a focus on this population within the Geriatric and Adult Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry Division—but we must create the capacity to achieve so much more.
Through this Centre, we are able to pay attention to mental illness, including addictions, in adults with very complex illnesses—both mental and physical. And to change the way we deliver care, we will train the mental health providers of tomorrow—nurses, doctors and students from a range of health care disciplines.
In the Azrieli Centre, this population will get the care it deserves.
