RESEARCH ISSUE NO. 2
NEW DIRECTIONS
2018
$5-million gift positions UAlberta as leader in child and adolescent mental health research CASA-FUNDED RESEARCH CHAIR IN DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY AIMS TO IMPROVE FRONT-LINE STRATEGIES FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTIONS ISSUES AUTHOR
PHOTOS BY
ROSS NEITZ
HABIT MARKETING AGENCY
CASA, A CHILD, adolescent and family mental-health
organization, has committed $5 million over the next 10 years for the University of Alberta’s Department of
At top: CASA and the U of A's Department of
Psychiatry to develop the CASA Research Chair in Child
Psychiatry announced the creation of the CASA
and Adolescent Mental Health.
Research Chair in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
The new chair will help drive community-focused research
At bottom: Xin-Min Li, Department of Psychiatry chair
and apply evidence-based findings to front-line care with an aim of improving the lives of children, youth and families with mental-health and addictions issues. A key aim will be to
“We need to support children and their families in their
collaborate with children, youth and their parents to gain new
earlier years through their challenges and struggles so they
insights and solutions.
can have healthy and productive lives,” said Milne.
“There are all kinds of gaps in the area of youth mental health,” said Denise Milne, CEO of CASA and CASA Foundation. “We see a variety of children struggling with mental-health challenges ranging from eating and sleeping disorders, to attention deficit disorder, to depression and anxiety, suicidal ideation and
“We need to support children and their families in their earlier years... so they can have healthy and productive lives.”
serious attempts.” “I’m very excited about this gift. It will be transformative,” According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada,
said Xin-Min Li, chair of the U of A’s Department of
an estimated 1.2 million children and youth in Canada are
Psychiatry. “Together with CASA, we’ll establish a leading
affected by mental illness, yet less than 20 per cent will
education, training and research centre in Canada for youth
receive appropriate treatment.
mental health.” UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA
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