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From falls prevention to depression therapies, scientists at Lawson Health Research Institute are conducting important mental health studies. Held on Thursday, September 15, the 17^th Annual Mental Health Research Half Day at the Parkwood Institute Mental Health Program was a chance to share and celebrate this research.

The Mental Health Research Half Day featured poster and oral presentations, as well as the 12^th Annual Tony Cerenzia Research Lecture. Clinical, administrative and research staff attended to learn more about research happening at Parkwood Institute and the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care, part of the St. Joseph’s Health Care London family.

“The Mental Health Research Half Day provides an opportunity for researchers at Parkwood Institute and the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care to present their research findings to clinical and administrative staff,” said Dr. Richard O’Reilly, Director of Psychiatric Research at Parkwood Institute & Southwest Centre and a Scientist at Lawson. “It is important that all clinical staff, who may not be directly involved in research, know what studies are being conducted and their impact on patient care.”

The 12^th Annual Tony Cerenzia Research Lecture was delivered by Dr. Nathan Herrmann, Associate Scientist, Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute and Head of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Dr. Herrmann delivered an engaging lecture titled “Managing Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Dementia: An Evidence-Based Approach”.

Attendees were engaged not only by this highly informative lecture but also by the poster and oral presentations which covered a broad range of research topics. Presenters were also enthusiastic about  the day and the opportunities it provided.

“The Mental Health Research Half Day is a great event which provides networking opportunities here at Parkwood Institute. It allows staff from across St. Joseph’s to learn about different research happening across program areas,” said Erin Finley, an Occupational Therapist (OT) in Geriatric Psychology at Parkwood Institute.

Finley and her colleagues were one of seven poster presentations. Their research project, titled “Fall prevention initiative in geriatric psychiatry”, aimed to reduce the rate of falls with injury among patients with dementia in a behavioural health unit. Within an 18-bed unit, they were able to significantly reduce falls with injury with zero incidences in the last two months of their data collection period.

Community members and those in the field of health research attended a special open house and interactive tour by research groups at Lawson Health Research Institute – celebrating the holiday spirit and the gift of hope that is made possible through hospital-based research.

A part of St. Joseph’s Health Care London, Parkwood Institute represents the next era in care, recovery and rehabilitation. Across the site, clinical and research teams in different disciplines and specialties are collaborating in new ways.

The teams that make up Parkwood Institute Research, a Lawson program, are conducting clinical studies with the goal of understanding disease and improving care for a wide range of patients.

“Many people in the community know the high-quality and compassionate care that is supported by the various clinical teams at Parkwood Institute,” says Dr. Cheryl Forchuk, Beryl and Richard Ivey Research Chair in Aging, Mental Health, Rehabilitation and Recovery, and Assistant Scientific Director at Lawson. “What most don’t know is that we have research teams working across these sites, with each other and research patients.

Researchers tackle the most important challenges and provide access to highly innovative and meaningful solutions that improve the lives of patients and their families, added Dr. Forchuk.

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At the open house on November 30, there were 11 interactive displays in the areas of cognitive vitality and brain health, mobility and activity and mental health. This included the Gait and Brain Laboratory, the Operational Stress Injury Clinic, wound care, the Mental Health Nursing Research Alliance and more: 

• The Mental Health INcubator for Disruptive Solutions (MINDS) of London Middlesex is a social innovation lab focused on developing, testing, implementing and evaluating disruptive solutions that promote the mental and emotional wellbeing of Transition-Aged Youth in our London-Middlesex community.
• The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA), supported by CIHR and many partners, is the premier research hub for all aspects of research involving neurodegenerative diseases that affect cognition in aging – including Alzheimer's disease. 
• A dynamic lab with the top neurorehabilitation evidence-based reviews in stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis, or insight into clinical trials of stroke rehabilitation using exoskeletons, exercise paradigms, pharmaceuticals, and clinical studies of psychosocial factors that influence chronic pain in brain injury and spinal cord injury populations.

The open house had a festive theme and each of the exhibits involved a problem solving element to encourage learning and foster teamwork.   

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Peggy Sattler, Member of Provincial Parliament for London West, and Terence Kernaghan, Member of Provincial Parliament for London North Centre, were among the over 300 people in attendance.

“This special open house opportunity is meant to be a fun experience where you were also learning about research,” explains Dr. Forchuk. “During this holiday season, we wanted to share our own gift of hope in the form of collaborative research that is making a real difference.”

See photos from the open house on Facebook.