Large-scale Investment Catapults CAMH’s Mental Illness and Addiction Research Forward

For Immediate Release – August 20, 2008 (TORONTO):  The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is proud to announce a landmark investment of $15 million by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) into research that will propel the understanding, intervention, treatment and prevention of mental illness and addiction to the next level of excellence.

This funding from the Large-Scale Institutional Endeavours component of CFI’s Research Hospital Fund will allow CAMH to leverage our scientific strengths, and transform lives with a new integrated, multi-disciplinary and innovative research environment.

(L-R) Celebrating the announcement of a $15 million research grant to CAMH this week were University of Toronto Dean of Medicine Dr. Catherine Whiteside; CAMH Physician-in-Chief Dr. Benoit Mulsant; VP of Research Dr. Bruce Pollock; Dr. Colin Carrie, MP and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry; Dr. Eliot Phillipson, President & CEO of CFI; and CAMH President & CEO Dr. Paul Garfinkel.

“This unparalleled support and endorsement is the engine that will drive real change for people impacted by mental illness and addiction,” said CAMH Vice President of Research Dr. Bruce Pollock today.  “The new environment that we can now build as part of our bold redevelopment will greatly increase the opportunities for researchers, clients, and partners to work together to generate timely, relevant research that can seamlessly translate into clinical practice that provides optimal care.”

CFI’s contribution, the largest individual grant in CAMH’s history, kicks off a $38 million project that will enable CAMH to focus on transforming lives across six research themes: Schizophrenia, Mood Disorders, Addictions, Community Health & Knowledge Exchange, Neuroimaging, Pharmacogentics and Neuroscience.  With the additional financial support coming from donors through the CAMH Foundation, this integrated and pioneering project will address key issues such as;

• Optimizing treatment across mental illness and substance use disorders, including the development of individualized treatment based on molecular genetics
• Translating discoveries into improved clinical practice, prevention and intervention strategies
• Reaching out to underserved and understudied communities such as First Nations, remote populations, the workplace, women, the elderly, and children.

“As we celebrate CAMH’s 10^th anniversary and officially open the first phase of our redeveloping Queen Street site, we’re also witnessing a turning point in the history of mental illness and addiction research, thanks to the generosity, support and faith of CFI,” said CAMH President and CEO Dr. Paul Garfinkel.  “Due to stigma, psychiatry and addiction treatment are behind many other areas of medicine. This support provides many of the tools we need to dramatically improve client, community and workplace health, reduce the burden of these diseases and their impact on the health care system.”

“CAMH’s proposal brings together a group of outstanding researchers to advance a world-class, innovative research agenda,” according to CFI’s International Assessment Committee. “The proposed research will be an important factor in enhancing knowledge and public awareness of mental health and addictions.”

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The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in the area of addiction and mental health. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues.

CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.

The CFI is an independent corporation created in 1997 by the Government of Canada to fund research infrastructure. The CFI's mandate is to strengthen the capacity of Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals, and non-profit research institutions to carry out world-class research and technology development that benefits Canadians.

Since its creation, the CFI has committed more than $3.8 billion in support of 5,746 projects at 128 research institutions in 64 municipalities across Canada.

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