Social and Epidemiological Research Department

Director: Dr. Jürgen Rehm
Contact: Michele Tortolo
Administrative Assistant
33 Russell St.
Toronto, ON M5S 2S1
michelle_tortolo@camh.net

What are the most pressing mental health or addictions problems in society, and what impact do they have?
How do we best organize our health care system to deal with mental health and addiction problems?
Which types of programs or policies are most effective in preventing mental health or addictions problems?

These questions reflect the three broad goals driving the work of scientists in CAMH’s Social and Epidemiological Research Department. SER has 25 scientists and more than 150 research and administrative staff, students and post-doctoral fellows.

SER is organized into three groups – although scientists often work across groups, as well as with other scientists and departments from across CAMH:

The Population Health Research Group. This research looks at broad trends and risk factors for mental health and addictions across populations.

Health Systems and Health Equity Research Group. This group looks at the design, delivery and effectiveness of health care, with a focus on systems, services and policies. It also looks at equity and access among those who are most vulnerable to developing mental health or addictions problems.

Social and Community Interventions and Policy Research Group. This group’s research focuses on identifying or creating effective programs to prevent mental health or addictions problems. It also looks at the impact of government policy and legislation.

The SER department also houses four research units:

Ontario Tobacco Research Unit (OTRU) – CAMH co-sponsors OTRU, a research network focused on tobacco control research, monitoring and evaluation, teaching and training.

CAMH Centre for Research on Employment and Workplace Health – This unit does research on how work affects mental health in people with and without mental illness, to develop programs and policy recommendations.

Clinical Epidemiology and Health Services Research – Researchers in this unit work with Toronto’s Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), which collects health information from across Ontario. This unit’s work looks at mental health care across the province.

World Health Organization/Pan-American Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Addictions and Mental Health – Researchers in this unit will collaborate internationally with less-resourced countries. They will use knowledge gained about diverse populations globally to understand and work with Ontario's diverse populations.

SER researchers work closely with external groups, such as community agencies, health-care planners or policy-makers, to make sure their research is relevant and to share research findings. SER scientists also use innovative ways to conduct research. A new mobile research lab will bring researchers to rural, remote and First Nations communities. Within CAMH, SER has recreated real-life settings to run studies in an experimental barroom and with a driving simulator.

As part of its commitment to promote the use of research for decision-making, SER supports the Ontario Mental Health and Addictions Knowledge Exchange Network (OMHAKEN). OMHAKEN connects research to mental health and addiction research stakeholders across Ontario, by creating products and tools and supporting dialogue and exchange.

SER is also committed to training new mental health and addiction researchers. Through the Social Aetiology of Mental Illness (SAMI), a centre of excellence based at CAMH and the University of Toronto, SER scientists mentor PhD students, post-doctoral fellows or physicians for one year. A new Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Community-Based Research is also supported by SER.