01/04/2026
Ottawa, Ontario — Wednesday April 1, 2026
Understanding how psychiatric illnesses are transmitted from one generation to the next is a critical challenge in child and youth mental health. For Dr. Hajer Nakua, this question is what drives her work and why she has joined the CHEO Research Institute as a Neuroimaging Scientist with the Precision Child and Youth Mental Health (PCYMH) Collaboratory.
“My research is motivated by the potential to understand neurodiversity and mental illness at the biological level,” said Dr. Nakua. “The opportunity for research to have a measurable and meaningful impact on the health of children, youth, and families.”
Dr. Nakua’s research focuses on understanding the biological factors that contribute to psychiatric disorders being passed from one generation to the next. Using multiple types of brain imaging, alongside advanced data analysis and information from diverse patient populations, she can identify patterns that increase the risk of mental illness within families.
By bringing together brain imaging, clinical data, and careful analysis, this precision‑based approach allows researchers to move beyond symptoms alone and better understand how changes in the brain relate to mental health conditions over time. This deeper understanding can help strengthen the scientific foundation needed to design more targeted and effective prevention strategies.
Ultimately, this work has the potential to help identify children and families who may benefit from earlier support and tailored care. By improving how risk is recognized and addressed, Dr. Nakua hopes her research will contribute to better prevention and treatment approaches that support healthier outcomes for children and youth.
Join the international conversation on precision child and youth mental health research and care at the 2026 PCYMH Conference, taking place May 11–12 in Ottawa.