Nursing Week News: Announcement of Chair in Mental Health Nursing Research

11 May 2015

(TORONTO) May 11, 2015 – The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kristin Cleverley to the position of Chair in Mental Health Nursing Research at the University of Toronto effective July 1, 2015. The purpose of the Chair is to develop a new and innovative program of research in mental health nursing that will serve as a catalyst for increasing awareness, dialogue and new knowledge in the field, with the goal of improving patient outcomes.

Cleverley

As many as 1 in 5 Canadian children and adolescents have at least one mental health problem.   Yet, research shows that as few as 1 in 6 will receive specialized mental health services. This is alarming given that as many as three-quarters of all adult disorders begin in adolescence, and we know early intervention is key to improved outcomes.  Unfortunately, the transition of youth with mental illness into adult mental health services is fragmented and poorly coordinated, resulting in a 50% decline in mental health services utilization.  There is an immediate need to understand these processes and improve service utilization and transitions for youth with mental illness.  Engaging youth and their families in this research will have the greatest impact on improved outcomes for youth.

Dr. Cleverley’s program of research will focus on youth with mental illness and seeks to understand the enablers and barriers youth with mental illness experience as they transition into adulthood.  Understanding these processes will inform the design of patient-oriented services and interventions to improve outcomes.  The Chair will provide training and mentorship to current and future mental health nurses to fill gaps in service and become leaders in mental health nursing and practice based research.

The appointment follows an international search for a Chair with outstanding mental health clinical expertise, research expertise, a program of research that addresses the needs of clients served by CAMH, and leadership abilities.    We are very pleased to have recruited Dr. Cleverley for this position as she brings significant clinical experience and expertise with children and youth with mental illness, a strong academic background from McMaster University (where she was an instructor in both the undergraduate and graduate health sciences programs from 2003-2012), as well as experience developing a program of research in an area of exceptional need in an extremely vulnerable population. She is a member of the Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth, and Family Mental Health at CAMH and will work with colleagues in the McCain Centre to launch her program of research.

Dr. Cleverley’s doctoral work was completed in the Department of Psychiatry and Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University. During her PhD studies Kristin was the recipient of a 4 year CIHR/PHAC Clinician-Scientist Fellowship, and her work focused on understanding the developmental trajectories of aggression in adolescence and outcomes in emerging adulthood.  During her tenure as the  Director of Practice Research and Innovation at CAMH, Kristin has been the co-director of the Ryerson-CAMH Collaborative in Client Centered Care, led the development and validation of a tool to better understand staff mix in a mental health context, and developed fellowships to strengthen academic practice in Nursing.  We look forward to her continued leadership to strengthen Nursing research and scholarship at CAMH.

About CAMH
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada’s largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and a world leading research centres in this field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental illness and addiction. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please visit www.camh.ca. Follow us on Twitter @CAMHnews.

Kate Richards, Media Relations Specialist
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
416-535-8501 ext. 36015
media@camh.ca

About the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

The Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto is an internationally renowned professional faculty at a world-leading research-intensive university. We educate nurses to provide high-quality patient care, manage and lead in health-care settings, and conduct primary research that advances health and patient care. For more information about Bloomberg Nursing, visit https://bloomberg.nursing.utoronto.ca. Follow us on Twitter @UofTNursing.

Dave Ross, Communications Officer
Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto
416-946-3657
dmj.ross@utoronto.ca