CAMH is home to the largest mental health and addictions research facility in Canada.

We have more than 100 full-time scientists and over 500 staff and students working together to better understand mental illness and substance use disorders and improve diagnosis, prevention, intervention, treatment and public policy initiatives. Our scientists are leaders in developing world-class research and translating these pioneering discoveries into clinical "bed-side" care.

Research Highlights

• Dr. Jeff Meyer - First psychiatrist to win Royal College Medal award in medicine
  For over 30 years, scientists believed that monoamines -- mood-related chemicals such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine -- are low in the brain during major depressive episodes.  This is commonly referred to as a “chemical imbalance”, but no one had ever found a convincing explanation for monoamine loss. In 2006, Dr. Jeff Meyer unlocked this mystery with the release of a study that provided a thorough explanation of how the “chemical imbalance” occurs in major depression.
  
  This pioneering work generated immediate public interest, and it is now being recognized by The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).  Dr. Meyer is the RSPCS’s 2009 recipient of the Royal College Medal Award in Medicine – the only psychiatrist to receive the award since its beginning in 1949. The prestigious medal provides national recognition for original work by a clinical investigator. For more information visit  Royal College Medal Awards.  
  
  Congratulations Dr. Meyer.
• CAMH Science: Centred on Discovery, Volume Three, Issue Three
  Read more about our community engagement activities, press releases on ground-breaking discoveries, highlights on pioneering science, and much more.
• International award recognizes promising young physician researcher
  Dr. Aristotle Voineskos, CIHR-funded fellow and psychiatrist working in the Geriatric Mental Health and Schizophrenia Programs, is the recipient of a 2009 American Psychiatric Associaton/AstraZeneca Young Minds in Psychiatry International Award. Recognizing and supporting promising young physician researchers (up to five years post-residency) working in core psychiatric areas with an emphasis on bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, Dr. Voineskos was one of just four recipients selected from an international pool of applications.
  
  This recognition provides Dr. Voineskos with a career development award of $45,000 (USD), which will enable him to continue helping patients with schizophrenia across the adult lifespan, from the first episode through to late life. Specifically, he will be working on a project entitled "Oligodendrocytes, and White Matter in Schizophrenia: Combining Gene Variation, Expression, and Diffusion Tensor Imaging in vivo." It focuses on understanding mechanisms of impaired brain connectivity in schizophrenia.
  
  This award will allow Dr. Voineskos to obtain imaging, genetics and gene expression measures on individuals with schizophrenia, that when combined, will provide more powerful answers to questions than any one field alone. He hopes that this work will ultimately identify new treatment targets for people living with schizophrenia. Currently, most medication for schizophrenia impacts dopamine receptors to treat the illness. However this work may identify new genes or proteins, such as an oligodendrocyte gene or protein, which may be relevant to treatment.
  
  Dr. Voineskos will be presented with his award at the Early Research Career Breakfast of the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, on May 19, 2009.
  

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Content updated: March 30, 2009 2:25 PM

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