Thirty-two scientists awarded grants from CAMH Discovery Fund
One hundred million dollar anonymous mental health donation largest in Canadian history
TORONTO, Aug. 1, 2018 /CNW/ - An antidote for post-traumatic stress disorder. A nasal spray for panic attacks. An increase in brain plasticity, described by one successful applicant as the "Holy Grail" of brain disorder research.
These are just a few of the first 32 exciting projects being funded by CAMH's Discovery Fund created in January 2018 through a $100-million gift from an anonymous donor, the largest donation to mental health in Canadian history. Described at the time by CAMH CEO Dr. Catherine Zahn as "an injection of wild, wild hope," the Discovery Fund will attract and develop top talent and nurture the kind of cutting-edge research and innovation that can lead to true breakthroughs in mental health treatment and care.
"This is only the beginning," says CAMH Physician-in-Chief Dr. Vicky Stergiopoulos. "There is such an urgent need for better understanding and treatments for people with mental illness. Through the Discovery Fund, we are focused on discovery and innovation to improve outcomes for those we serve today, as well as future generations, both here in Canada, and around the world."
After each project was rigorously reviewed and evaluated by a team of internal and external experts, seven were granted two-year Seed Funding awards of up to $200,000.
Another 25 applications to the Talent Development fund, created to assist and inspire the next generation of mental health researchers, were also given the green light.
"We were tremendously impressed with the variety of truly innovative projects presented to us," says CAMH's Deputy Physician-in-Chief for Research Dr. Tarek Rajji. "These are all important studies that could have a powerful impact on mental health in Canada and globally and we're proud to be able to fund them through the Discovery Fund. Being able to fund high-risk/high-reward studies could lead to paradigm shifts in mental health research."
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and a world leading research centre 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 camh.ca or follow @CAMHnews on Twitter.
SOURCE Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
To interview Dr. Stergiopoulos or any of the scientists receiving grants from the Discovery Fund, please contact: Sean O'Malley, Media Relations, CAMH, 416-535-8501 ext. 36663, [email protected]
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