Thanks to everyone who attended!
Check back for more updates and pictures from our 4th Annual Conference.
Congratulations to our 2012 award winners:
Best Oral Presentation:
Harry MacKay, Carleton University Perinatal Exposure to the Endocrine Disruptor Bisphenol A (BPA) Predisposes Offspring to Diet-Induced Obesity and Metabolic Alterations in Adulthood. Runner-up Oral Presentation: Juan Pablo Lopez, McGill University miRNA Expression in the Prefrontal Cortex of Suicide Completers Best Basic Poster Presentation: Parnell Davis MacNevin, Carleton University The Role of Dopamine in MK-801-Induced Appetitive Extinction Responding and Associated Changes in Striatal Phosphorylated ERK Best Clinical Poster Presentation: Hilary Maxwell, University of Ottawa The Impact of Attachment Anxiety on Interpersonal Complementary Interactions in Group Psychotherapy of Women with Binge Eating Disorder Best Undergraduate Poster Presentation: Kyane Toudjian, University of Ottawa An Analysis of Cognitive and Clinical Measures in Responders and non-Responders to CBT Treatment Viewers choice- Favorite poster as voted on by conference attendees: Adel Farah, McGill University The Epigenetics of Suicide and The HPA Axis | 
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Our conference invites attendees who work in various areas of mental health research, psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, social work, nursing, and other affiliated fields. Ultimately, our goal is to create greater connections, collaborations, and understanding between these important fields of research. Attendees and presenters will represent the work being done across disciplines, creating a unique environment with curriculum spanning a variety of topics. Those of you who are not actively involved in research or clinical work, but with a keen interest in these topics, are also invited to register. There will be something for everyone!
Location: The conference will be held on the main floor of the The Royal 1145 Carling Ave., Ottawa, Ontario. Parking is available in paid lots surrounding the hospital. There is also an OC transpo bus stop located directly outside of the hospital.
Location: The conference will be held on the main floor of the The Royal 1145 Carling Ave., Ottawa, Ontario. Parking is available in paid lots surrounding the hospital. There is also an OC transpo bus stop located directly outside of the hospital.
March 23, 2012
The 4th Annual University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research
Young Researchers' Conference: Collaborations for Change
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| 10:15-10:45 | Mental Illness: My Story |
| Featuring | Chris Curry |
| We all know someone who has suffered mental illness, many do so in silence. We want to make those voices heard. Many researchers dedicate their lives to research that impacts treatment in the clinic and community without ever hearing the stories of the individuals impacted. This series will allow a glimpse into the life of an individual who has struggled with mental health issues and the importance of reducing stigma and gaining effective treatment. | |
| 10:45-12:15 | Keynote Lecture- The Biology of Loss: The Physiological, Developmental and Psychological Impact of Early Childhood Adversity |
| Featuring | Dr. Gabor Maté |
| Dr. Maté is an acclaimed public speaker and best selling author who will present his work addressing the mental health implications of early childhood adversity on development. Dr. Maté talks about various forms of adversity, such as abuse, family stress, or poor attachment with parents and relates them to the subsequent development of mental health disorders and addictions later in life.
As a physician and counsellor Dr. Maté has worked with various clinical populations, including over 12 years at facilities in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside with patients challenged by life-threatening drug addictions, mental illness, Hepatitis C or HIV and, in many cases, all four. Utilizing his personal and professional experience, paired with insight and cutting edge scientific findings, Dr. Maté presents a broad perspective that enlightens and empowers people to promote their own healing and that of those around them. He links everything from neurophysiology, immunology, and developmental psychology to economic and social policy, even touching on the spiritual dimensions of disease and healing. His work is thought provoking and inspiring to all audiences. explores the etiology of mental illnesses and proposes a compassionate approach to intervention. | |
| 1:45-2:45 | Workshops |
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| Participants may select one of three workshops. Workshops will consist of an approximately 45 minute presentation followed by a 15 minute question/answer and discussion period. | |
| 3:15-4:15 | Ethics in Research and Clinical Work |
| Featuring | Professor Vanessa Gruben, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law Wendy Burgess, Policy Analyst, Secretariat on Responsible Conduct of Research Catherine Paquet, Director, Office of Research Ethics and Integrity, University of Ottawa |
Our panelists represent different fields of involved with overseeing and implementing ethical standards in research and clinical work with both human and animal populations. Commitment to better understanding and adherence to current ethical standards and guidelines is instrumental in conducting research. This session will include a discussion of the most up to date standards as well as current debates in ethics. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions and discuss their own experiences and issues. | |
Speaker Bios
| Chris Curry
Chris is a mental health and addictions counselor, musician and author of the memoir ‘Completely in Blue: Dispatches from the Edge of Insanity.’
After spending the past decade in silence regarding his battles with major depression, suicide attempts, anxiety, substance abuse, and ultimately drug-induced psychosis, Chris has lifted the veil of secrecy and is speaking openly about his struggles in order to help destigmatize the subject of mental illness. Chris will provide an inside glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of someone on the receiving end of mental health care while discussing his life-altering hospitalization for psychosis that was characterized by numerous escape attempts, violent and out of control behaviour, hallucinations, delusions and paranoia. A writer and musician since high school, Chris has used these tools to aid in the reduction of stigma associated with mental illness and addiction. He has written numerous mental health related articles for a wide variety of publications and his latest CD is a collection of songs that were written during the flowery highs of psychotic mania, and the terrifying depths of depression. Through his direct clinical work and his own personal experience with mental illness, Chris is able to share a candid account of the faces behind psychiatric disorders. His story is inspiring and his experiences will certainly bring greater understanding to those of you affected by mental illness and working in health related fields. For more information on Chris, check out his blog And listen to the audio accompaniment to his memoir You can also purchase his book here Robert Milin
Robert Milin, MD is a clinician and researcher with expertise in
child, adolescent and addiction psychiatry. Dr. Milin is currently the Director of the Adolescent Day
Treatment Unit, Youth Psychiatry Program, Royal Ottawa Mental Health
Centre; Consultant Psychiatrist and Director of Research for the David
Smith Centre for Youth Drug and Alcohol Treatment; Coordinator of
Research, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of
Psychiatry, University of Ottawa; Assistant Professor, Department of
Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa; and is the former Clinical
Director of the Youth Psychiatry Program and Regional Children's Mental
Health Centre.
Dr. Milin has published numerous studies in addiction psychiatry and treatment of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders. He also has presented his research extensively at national and international conferences. Dr. Milin is an experienced clinician and researcher with content expertise in child and adolescent psychiatry, addictions and early onset major psychiatric disorders. Norman Farb
Norman Farb, Ph.D. is a cognitive neuroscientist. He studies the relationship between well-being and how people use (or misuse) attention. His research is focused in two streams; the cultivation of attention through training such as mindfulness meditation, and the dissolution of these attentional capacities in dementia.
Dr. Farb studied psychology and philosophy at the University of Waterloo and completed his master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Toronto, studying the neuroscience attention and emotion through the department of psychology, where he also began the study of mindfulness meditation. Over the past 5 years he has been developing a model of how mindfulness meditation changes the brain in new meditators, exploring how different ways of viewing the world can be represented by distinct patterns of brain activity. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Rotman Research Institute, studying how dementia affects awareness of the present moment. He has recently begun teaching mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) courses to older adults with mood problems. David Hayes
David Hayes, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral fellow in the Mind, Brain
Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, at the University of Ottawa
Institute of Mental Health Research.
He examines how emotional brain function gives rise to aversion and reward, and how these processes are related to neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, and addiction. I investigates brain function related to aversion and reward behaviour in humans (using brain imaging) and other animals (using behavioural pharmacology). This translational research aims to improve our understanding of emotional brain function and may ultimately assist with advancements in clinical therapy related to neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, addiction, and anxiety. The emotional brain is also key to understanding decision making and personality. Read more about David's work on his website: www.neuroscientist.ca Wendy Burgess
Wendy
Burgessis a policy analyst at the
Secretariat on Responsible Conduct of Research . Under the governance structure for the TCPS, the Secretariat on Responsible Conduct of Research is mandated, among other things, to provide substantive, administrative and communication support to the Interagency Advisory Panel of Research Ethics which governs policies in ethical research with humans for Canada’s three federal agencies, CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC. |
