Letter from CAMH President & CEO: Annual Report 2003

"...it is curiosity, initiative, originality, and the ruthless application of honesty that count in research -- much more than feats of logic and memory alone." -- Julian Huxley

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) celebrated its fifth anniversary on March 8, 2003. The past five years have proven to be both challenging and exceptionally rewarding for the Research Program.
We can look back at the years since the merging of our four founding partners and recognize the opportunities that we realized, even in the context of uncertainty in the early days. During this time, our research staff and scientists continued to do what they do best: investigate, explore and discover.
One of our goals following the merger was to create and implement a new departmental structure for the CAMH research program, to recognize biological, clinical and social levels of analysis, while also integrating mental health and addiction research. Although this was a challenging task, it was well worth the endeavour.

Over the past year, CAMH researchers have been awarded over $28 million in extramural funds -- and over the past five years, more than $120 million -- for research projects, studies, major equipment and other awards. As always, we are grateful to the hundreds of agencies, partnerships and philanthropic donations that have made this possible.

As we look forward to the coming years, we have set our sights on our goal of translating our research successes and findings into action for patients and clients. We will try to translate our discoveries from the bench to deliver new options and treatments at the bedside. We will also use our findings to inform our community work, health-care delivery and policy development. With these goals in mind, we hand the baton of this effort to our new incoming Vice-President of Research, Dr. Shitij Kapur.

Dr. Kapur is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, a Canada Research Chair and a Professor of Psychiatry, recognized internationally for his work in understanding the mechanisms of antipsychotic action. His work extends from preclinical models in the laboratory to clinical research in the community. His research, which has made an important difference in the lives of people with schizophrenia, is a model for our translational efforts. His background, training, enthusiasm and energy will be ideal attributes as we take our research to the next level. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Kapur to this important leadership role.

It gives us great pleasure to acknowledge the excellent work of our researchers, and we are delighted to share with you this report that documents their achievements.

Franco J. Vaccarino, PhD
Executive Vice-President, Programs 

Paul E. Garfinkel, MD, FRCPC(C)
President and Chief Executive Officer

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