Supporting impactful community research
Our grants and research awards are designed to seed-fund research projects led by experienced academic researchers and community researchers/service providers collaborating to address gaps in community mental health and addressing community needs, while integrating the insights of people with lived experience into each stage of their project.
Molly Stewart
Positive moments at work can be easy to overlook, and many wellness programs struggle to engage employees. Molly Stewart is exploring whether personalized images generated by artificial intelligence, integrated into familiar workplace tools, could help people recall meaningful experiences and adopt everyday practices that support mental well-being.
Maria Paula Godoy
Supporting psychological health at work requires more than awareness: employers and workers also need practical tools. Maria Paula Godoy is evaluating a new workplace training micro-credential developed by the Canadian Mental Health Association Manitoba-Winnipeg and RRC Polytech, with the aim of improving its design, implementation and usefulness.
Courtney Labrecque
Farmers and ranchers face distinct pressures, and mental health services work best when they reflect agricultural realities. Courtney Labrecque is evaluating SaskAgMatters, a free therapy service for Saskatchewan producers, by gathering therapists’ perspectives on what works, what needs improvement and how the program can evolve.
Alashua Crowley
Inuit mental health workers play a central role in community care across Nunavut, yet recruiting and retaining local staff remains a challenge. Alashua Crowley is working with Nunavut-based organizations to understand Inuit frontline workers’ experiences, strengths and workplace needs, with the goal of informing more supportive and culturally responsive services.
Haley Bonnell
Peer supporters bring lived experience into mental health and addiction services, but integration into multidisciplinary systems can also create new workplace pressures. Haley Bonnell’s research with Lifewise is examining how work context shapes peer supporters’ mental health, well-being and experience of their roles.
Sam Hawkins
Online gambling can be accessed from almost anywhere, including during the workday. Sam Hawkins is using mobile sensing in a longitudinal study to examine how gambling during work hours relates to job performance and mental health, including depression, anxiety, stress and work engagement.
Nate Taylor
Sport officials work under constant evaluation, public scrutiny and frequent verbal abuse, yet many sport organizations have limited capacity to provide ongoing mental health support. Nate Taylor is examining what would make digital and AI-supported tools credible, confidential and useful to Canadian officials.
Maryam Shahzad
Burnout can look different from one workplace to another. Maryam Shahzad is using national mental health data to examine how burnout varies across Canadian employment sectors, what contributes to it and how it affects people’s ability to work, with the goal of informing strategies that can apply across occupations.
Laurence Sonier
For firefighters, workplace culture can shape whether mental health concerns are discussed and whether support feels accessible. Laurence Sonier’s research with firefighters in Edmundston, New Brunswick examined how stigma, organizational culture and workplace relationships influence help-seeking, identifying practical opportunities to strengthen mental health support within fire services.