Letter from the Vice-President: Research Annual Report 2003

All times are interesting, but some times are more interesting than others -- the field of mental health and addiction is in especially interesting times. The mapping of the human genome, the unprecedented power of neuroimaging technologies, the development of information technology that allows community-scale endeavours and the evidence-based approach to social and policy research promise great advances in the way we understand, prevent and care for substance use and mental health problems. It is thus an honour and a privilege to be chosen to lead our research efforts at such a time.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has always been committed to research. This commitment edged a notch higher when, in our strategic plan, CAMH committed to "discovering, sharing and applying new knowledge" as one of our core goals. In meeting this goal, our researchers have kept up their efforts. Our scientists brought in close to $29 million in extramural funding for grants, contracts and awards. This accomplishment was spearheaded by two new Canada Research Chairs, awarded to Drs. Susan George and Anne Bassett. Dr. Art Petronis and I were the two recipients of the Ontario Mental Health Foundation's Special Initiative Grants, a province-wide competition addressing special opportunities in the new millennium.

We enhanced our research infrastructure, by installing the world's highest resolution PET camera (HRRT) for clinical studies and by installing a new confocal scanning microscope with the help of the Ontario Innovation Trust and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The Krembil Foundation and the CAMH Foundation provided a million-dollar award that led to the creation of the new Krembil Family Epigenetics Research Laboratory, under the direction of Dr. Art Petronis. These are just a few of the many notable accomplishments that are detailed in the pages that follow.

These successes did not happen by accident. They reflect the dedication of our scientists as well as the exem-plary leadership provided by our outgoing Vice-President, Dr. Franco Vaccarino. Through a period when the four founding institutions merged to form CAMH, Dr. Vaccarino's leadership provided a steady helm as our research program organized itself, retained its scientific leaders, built capacity and secured our future. For all these contributions, thank you Franco!

This report documents the research highlights of the past year, the grants and awards received by CAMH scientists and the publications of our findings. It is a testimony to the achievements of our scientists and their dedication to discovering and applying new knowledge. The strength of their achievements and the depth of their commitment give me confidence that research at CAMH will continue to flourish -- we will continue to make a difference in the lives of patients, clients, families and communities.

Dr. Shitij Kapur
Vice-President, Research

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