Research Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health

Hosted by: Faculty of Medicine

For more information please contact: Dr Glenda MacQueen, Head, Department of Psychiatry (email: Glenda [dot] MacQueen [at] albertahealthservices [dot] ca

Mental illness has a profound impact on children and youth, with half of all lifetime cases beginning by age 14. Chronic psychiatric illnesses impact negatively on academic, career and social development, limiting the potential of those affected and burdening our society. The University of Calgary is committed to becoming a leader in the area of Child and Youth Mental Health research and education, and has made significant investments in infrastructure and recruitment to advance this agenda. Through the Campus Alberta Innovates Program, the Faculty of Medicine seeks to further strengthen this priority area by recruiting a research leader in clinical and/or population health science, focused on early identification and intervention among young people at risk or suffering from mental illness.

The Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health will be a highly qualified professional (PhD, MD, or MD/PhD) with significant research expertise and strong leadership qualities. The individual’s research area of interest may include epidemiological methods, brain imaging or the identification of biological disease markers to achieve breakthroughs in the prediction, prevention, and diagnosis of mental illness in the clinical realm. Using his or her expertise in the discipline, the recruit will be encouraged to maximize the impact and benefits of their important research through collaborative efforts with scientists from various Faculties.

The proposed position will benefit from existing infrastructure within the Faculty of Medicine’s Mental Health Centre for Research and Education, a partnership between the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the Calgary Institute for Population and Public Health. These researchers have established expertise and are applying new collaborative approaches in the study of psychoses and depression, visualized by brain imaging using high field magnetic resonance (MR) scanners; and in the prediction, prevention and diagnosis of mental illness in the clinical realm. As well, a multi-faculty initiative on Child and Youth Mental Health at U of C is merging strengths and expertise from the Faculties of Arts, Education, Kinesiology, Nursing, Medicine and Social Work, to improve outcomes in child and youth mental health across Alberta. This group has organized its efforts along the trajectory of development from the perinatal period into adolescence, with the understanding that negative outcomes are preventable with early identification and intervention. This recruit will be a critical part of the transformative efforts underway at the U of C that will make the University a recognized leader in Child and Youth Mental Health.

The appointment will be at either the Assistant or Associate Professor level. Funding support for 7 years is provided to the Chair, with salary support guaranteed by the University after the term of the award. Multiple opportunities for further funding are available and are
complemented by extensive programs established with philanthropic support within the HBI and Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institutes.

About the Campus Alberta Innovates Program
In 2011, the Government of Alberta created the Campus Alberta Innovation Program Chairs as part of its Campus Alberta collaborative initiative. This prestigious program provides an initial sixteen research chairs at Alberta's four Comprehensive Academic and Research Intensive institutions: Athabasca University, University of Alberta, University of Calgary, and University of Lethbridge. The program is designed to recruit new research leaders to Alberta in specific areas. The Chairs are aligned with the four strategic priority areas of the Alberta Innovates Corporations and Alberta Advanced Education and Technology: Energy and Environment, Food and Nutrition, Neuroscience/Prions and Water. Academic appointments will be made at the Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Full Professor level depending on the seniority of the individual. At the end of the seven years as Chair, appointees will assume regular faculty positions at their institutions. Chairs will be encouraged to collaborate with colleagues and may receive adjunct appointments at their sister institutions.