Sharing our Knowledge -- Azrieli Centre | CAMH

Knowledge Is Power

CAMH plays a vital role in teaching the next generation of mental health experts in Canada. As home to the University of Toronto’s department of psychiatry, the largest residency training program in North America and one of the largest in the world, CAMH teaches 25 per cent of psychiatrists in Canada and 50 per cent in Ontario.

Building upon what has been started with CAMH’s Portico, an online platform that encourages and facilitates collaboration and mental health knowledge exchange, the hospital is well situated to be the national leader in this area, developing expertise that can benefit all of Canada.

To maximize the reach of discovery and educational efforts, Azrieli Centre fellows and investigators are developing expertise in knowledge exchange and becoming the go-to resource for the research and clinical communities. The centre also shares knowledge directly with patients, their families and the public.

This Centre encourages interprofessional team members to work with other teaching sites to improve care and research across the country. Fellows and early investigators share this knowledge and expertise with the world. Every project includes a knowledge exchange component. All fellows and investigators receive training in knowledge exchange and benefit from working with individual and family project advisors employed at the centre.

Azrieli investigators contribute to developing a clear practice model in addition to their research activities, and they develop clinical placements for trainees in which they can work alongside trainees from other disciplines in an interprofessional manner.

Fellows and investigators also work closely with CAMH Education, a national leader in mental health education, to develop their educational scholarship. Investigators work with their respective educational institution to integrate teaching about neurodevelopmental disabilities and mental health into discipline-specific health care curriculum. By doing so, valuable knowledge about best practices for this unique population will be shared widely with tomorrow’s experts in this field.

Through the Azrieli Centre, we are expanding our capacity to reach a broader group of disciplines, to train the experts of tomorrow, and place even greater emphasis on interprofessional training and educational opportunities.

Partnerships and Support

Partnerships are crucial to expanding our service delivery model and increasing the scale and impact of our research innovation. Through key partnerships within CAMH and the community at large, we are creating an approach to severe mental illness powerful enough to guarantee no young person will fall off the path to a healthy life.

Recognizing the Mental Health Needs of an Essential Workforce: Being a Direct Support Professional in the Time of COVID-19

HCARDD Covid-19 Info

HCARDD - Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities

YouTube HCARDD

Mental Health Literacy Guide icon

Azrieli Self-help booklets

Family Matters Toolkit

The nuts & bolts of healthcare

2021

Assessing and stabilizing atypical plasticity in autism spectrum disorder using rTMS: Results from a proof-of-principle study. Desarkar, P., Rajji, T. K., Ameis, S. H., Blumberger, D. M., Lai, M. C., Lunsky, Y., & Daskalakis, Z. J.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Caregivers of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: A Systematic Review. Magnacca, C., Thomson, K., & Marcinkiewicz, A.
Effects of the dopamine transporter gene on striatal functional connectivity in youths with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Shang, C. Y., Lin, H. Y., & Gau, S. S. F.
Beliefs regarding COVID-19 vaccines among Canadian workers in the intellectual disability sector prior to vaccine implementation. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. Lunsky Y, Kithulegoda N, Thai K, Benham JL, Lang R, Desveaux L, & Ivers NM
Whole brain white matter tract deviation and idiosyncrasy from normative development in autism and ADHD and unaffected siblings link with dimensions of psychopathology and cognition. Tung, Y. H., Lin, H. Y., Chen, C. L., Shang, C. Y., Yang, L. Y., Hsu, Y. C., Tseng, W. Y. I. & Gau, S. S. F.
The wellbeing and mental health care experiences of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities during COVID-19. Lake, J. K., Jachyra, P., Volpe, T., Lunsky, Y., Magnacca, C., Marcinkiewicz, A., & Hamdani, Y.
Housing design and modifications for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and complex behavioral needs: Scoping review. Casson, J., Hamdani, Y., Dobranowski, K., Lake, J., McMorris, C., Gonzales, A., Lunsky, Y. & Balogh, R.
Intermittent theta burst stimulation over the posterior superior temporal sulcus for children with autism spectrum disorder: A 4-week randomized blinded controlled trial followed by another 4-week open-label intervention. Ni, H. C., Chen, Y. L., Chao, Y. P., Wu, C. T., Wu, Y. Y., Liang, S. H. Y., Chin, W. C., Chou, T. L., Gau, S. S. F., Huang, Y. Z. & Lin, H. Y.
Regional brain volume predicts response to methylphenidate treatment in individuals with ADHD. Chang, J. C., Lin, H. Y., Lv, J., Tseng, W. Y. I., & Gau, S. S. F.
Association of preexisting disability with severe maternal morbidity or mortality in Ontario, Canada. Brown, H. K., Ray, J. G., Chen, S., Guttmann, A., Havercamp, S. M., Parish, S., Vigod, S. N., Tarasoff, L. A. & Lunsky, Y.
"The doctor will see you now": Direct support professionals' perspectives on supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities accessing health care during COVID-19. Lunsky, Y., Bobbette, N., Selick, A., & Jiwa, M. I.
Health characteristics of reproductive-aged autistic women in Ontario: A population-based, cross-sectional study. Tint, A., Brown, H. K., Chen, S., Lai, M. C., Tarasoff, L. A., Vigod, S. N., Parish, S., Havercamp, S. M. and Lunsky, Y.
Group virtual mindfulness-based intervention for parents of autistic adolescents and adults. Lunsky, Y., Albaum, C., Baskin, A., Hastings, R. P., Hutton, S., Steel, L., Wang, W. & Weiss, J.
Building Bridges to Housing for homeless adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: outcomes of a cross-sector intervention. Reid, N., Kron, A., Lamanna, D., Wen, S., Durbin, A., Rajakulendran, T., Lunsky, Y., Roy, S., DuBois, D. & Stergiopoulos, V.
Increased functional segregation related to the salience network in unaffected siblings of youths with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Lin, H. Y., Kessler, D., Tseng, W. Y. I., & Gau, S. S. F.

2020

Health of newborns and infants born to women with disabilities: A meta-analysis. Tarasoff, L. A., Murtaza, F., Carty, A., Salaeva, D., Hamilton, A. D., & Brown, H. K.
Pharmacogenomic studies in intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. Yoshida, K., Koyama, E., Zai, C. C., Beitchman, J. H., Kennedy, J. L., Lunsky, Y., Desarkar, P. & Müller, D. J.
Looking across health and healthcare outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and psychiatric disorders: population-based longitudinal study. Lin, E., Balogh, R., Chung, H., Dobranowski, K., Durbin, A., Volpe, T., & Lunsky, Y.
Exploring the experiences of siblings of adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Redquest, B. K., Tint, A., Ries, H., & Lunsky, Y.
Physical health of autistic girls and women: a scoping review. Kassee, C., Babinski, S., Tint, A., Lunsky, Y., Brown, H. K., Ameis, S. H., Szatmari, P., Lai, M. C. & Einstein, G.
Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth mental health among youth with physical health challenges. Hawke, L. D., Monga, S., Korczak, D., Hayes, E., Relihan, J., Darnay, K., Cleverley, K., Lunsky, Y., Szatmari, P. & Henderson, J.
Considering efficacy and effectiveness trials of cognitive behavioral therapy among youth with autism: A systematic review. Lake, J. K., Tablon Modica, P., Chan, V., & Weiss, J. A.
Development of educational modules for MRTs to better support patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities undergoing imaging procedures: A collaborative patient-oriented initiative. Jiwa, M. I., Armstrong, S., Shao, Y., & Lunsky, Y.
Association between the -2548G/A polymorphism of the leptin gene and antipsychotic-induced weight gain: Analysis of the CATIE sample and meta-analysis. Yoshida, K., Maciukiewicz, M., Zai, C. C., Gonçalves, V. F., Brandl, E. J., Lieberman, J. A., Meltzer, H. Y., Tiwari, A. K., Kennedy, J. L. & Müller, D. J.
Evaluation of a caregiver training program to teach help-seeking behavior to children with autism spectrum disorder. Davis, S., Thomson, K., & Magnacca, C.
Association of self-regulation with white matter correlates in boys with and without autism spectrum disorder. Ni, H. C., Lin, H. Y., Tseng, W. Y. I., & Gau, S. S. F.
Productivity-based wages and employment of people with disabilities: International usage and policy considerations. Lysaght, R., Bobbette, N., & Ciampa, M. A.
Brain voxel-based morphometry correlates of emotion dysregulation in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Tsai, C. J., Lin, H. Y., Tseng, I. W. Y., & Gau, S. S. F.
Preconception health characteristics of women with disabilities in Ontario: A population-based, cross-sectional study. Tarasoff, L. A., Lunsky, Y., Chen, S., Guttmann, A., Havercamp, S. M., Parish, S. L., Vigod, S. N., Carty, A. & Brown, H. K.
Key considerations for providing self-management support to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Bobbette, N., Hamdani, Y., & Lunsky, Y.
Identifying reproductive-aged women with physical and sensory disabilities in administrative health data: A systematic review. Brown, H. K., Carty, A., Havercamp, S. M., Parish, S., & Lunsky, Y.
Characterizing intrinsic functional connectivity in relation to impaired self-regulation in intellectually able male youth with autism spectrum disorder. Lin, H. Y., Ni, H. C., Tseng, W. Y. I., & Gau, S. S. F.
Individual and contextual predictors of retention in Special Olympics for youth with intellectual disability: Who stays involved? Weiss, J. A., Robinson, S., Harlow, M., Mosher, A., Fraser‐Thomas, J., Balogh, R., & Lunsky, Y.
Pregnancy care for women with disabilities in Ontario: Patient and provider perspectives. Tarasoff, L., Lunsky, Y., Welsh, K., Proulx, L., Havercamp, S., Parish, S., & Brown, H.
Emergency department nurses' knowledge, skills, and comfort related to caring for patients with intellectual disabilities. Spassiani, N. A., Abou Chacra, M. S., Selick, A., Durbin, J., & Lunsky, Y.
Treatment of executive function deficits in autism spectrum disorder with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation: A double-blind, sham-controlled, pilot trial. Ameis, S. H., Blumberger, D. M., Croarkin, P. E., Mabbott, D. J., Lai, M. C., Desarkar, P., Szatmari, P. & Daskalakis, Z. J.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation modulates glutamate/glutamine levels in young adults with autism spectrum disorder. Moxon-Emre, I., Daskalakis, Z. J., Blumberger, D. M., Croarkin, P. E., Forde, N. J., Tani, H., Truong, P., Lai, M. C., Desarkar, P., Sailasuta, N. & Szatmari, P.
Assessing and stabilizing aberrant neuroplasticity in autism spectrum disorder using transcranial magnetic stimulation: Results from a proof-of-principle study. Desarkar, P., Rajji, T. K., Ameis, S. H., Blumberger, D. M., Lai, M. C., Lunsky, Y., & Daskalakis, Z. J.
Comparative efficacy of methylphenidate and atomoxetine on social adjustment in youths with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Shang, C. Y., Shih, H. H., Pan, Y. L., Lin, H. Y., & Gau, S. S. F.
Drug attitude, insight, and patient’s knowledge about prescribed antipsychotics in schizophrenia: A cross-sectional survey. Nagai, N., Tani, H., Yoshida, K., Gerretsen, P., Suzuki, T., Ikai-Tani, S., Mimura, M. & Uchida, H.
Factors affecting information technology use from the perspective of aging persons with cognitive disabilities: A scoping review of qualitative research. Rocheleau, J. N., Cobigo, V., Chalghoumi, H., Jahan, A., Jutai, J., Lake, J., Farrell, S. & Lachapelle, Y.
Early improvements of individual symptoms as a predictor of treatment response to asenapine in patients with schizophrenia. Ogyu, K., Noda, Y., Yoshida, K., Kurose, S., Masuda, F., Mimura, Y., Nishida, H., Plitman, E., Tarumi, R., Tsugawa, S., Wada, M., Miyazaki, T., Uchida, H., Graff-Guerrero, A., Mimura, M., & Nakajima, S.
Assessing the wellbeing of individuals with autism using the interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health (ChYMH) and the interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health - Developmental Disabilities (ChYMH-DD) tools. Redquest, B. K., Stewart, S. L., Bryden, P. J., & Fletcher, P. C.
Preventing and treating diabetes in Canadian adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Redquest, B., Ahmed, S., Balogh, R., & Lunsky, Y.
Commentary on “Diabetes and people with learning disabilities: issues for policy, practice and education”. Redquest, B., & Lunsky, Y.
Dating and romantic relationships of adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Heifetz, M., Lake, J., Weiss, J., Isaacs, B., & Connolly, J.
Rates of recognized pregnancy in women with disabilities in Ontario, Canada. Brown, H. K., Chen, S., Guttmann, A., Havercamp, S. M., Parish, S., Ray, J. G., Tarasoff, L. A., Vigod, S. N., Carty, A. & Lunsky, Y.
Health care utilisation in infants and young children born to women with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Salaeva, D., Tarasoff, L. A., & Brown, H. K.

Find out more about climate change and CAMH's response. Learn more