27/05/2026
Ottawa, Ontario — Wednesday May 27, 2026
Despite increasing awareness and access to mental health care in Canada, up to half of children and youth with mental health conditions do not respond to treatment – highlighting an urgent need to rethink how care is designed and delivered.
That challenge and the opportunity to collectively address it, was the focus of the 2026 Precision Child and Youth Mental Health (PCYMH) Conference, co-led by the CHEO Research Institute (CHEO RI) and the University of Ottawa on May 11–12 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
Bringing together international experts, clinicians, researchers, data scientists, and youth and caregivers with lived experience, the conference reinforced the CHEO RI’s leadership in the global shift toward more precise, personalized mental health care.
“We all share the same goal of improving mental health outcomes for children and youth through research that enhances care today and for generations to come,” said Dr. Jason Berman, CEO and Scientific Director at the CHEO Research Institute, and Vice-President of Research at CHEO.
Leading the shift to precision mental health
Through the Precision Child and Youth Mental Health Collaboratory, which is made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Waverley House and in connection with SickKids, the CHEO RI is bridging research and clinical practice to build innovative mental health care tailored to the needs of individual children and youth.
The 2026 PCYMH conference theme “Collaborative Transformation” highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and meaningful partnership with people with lived experience. As advances in artificial intelligence and access to richer health data generate new insights into the biological, environmental and social factors shaping mental health, grounding this work in real-world experience is essential. Bridging these insights with clinical decision-making is what makes it possible to tailor care to each child’s needs.
“Precision mental health is about understanding the whole child. By bringing together data, lived experience and clinical expertise we can deliver care that is truly individualized – and collaboration is how we get there,” said Dr. Kathleen Pajer, Scientific Director of the PCYMH Collaboratory.
Bringing together global expertise to drive innovation
The conference featured leading voices from across Canada and internationally, showcasing cutting-edge research and real-world applications:
- Dr. Paul Arnold (University of Calgary) on the Pan-GEM initiative, combining genetic and environmental data to deepen understanding of youth mental health
- Dr. Giovanni Briganti (University of Mons) on the transformative role of artificial intelligence in clinical decision-making for mental health
- Dr. Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli (Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital) on real-time neurofeedback to better understand and influence brain function
- Dr. Christine Armour (CHEO Research Institute, University of Ottawa) on advancing population-level autism screening
- Dr. Jacob Vorstman (University of Toronto, SickKids) on leveraging genetics to inform targeted mental health care
Driving impact and leadership
The PCYMH Conference reflects a broader effort led by CHEO RI to advance precision mental health research and care.
“Bringing together global experts, clinicians, and people with lived experience in one place creates a powerful environment for change,” said Christina Honeywell, Director of Operations for the PCYMH Collaboratory. “Our goal is to build the partnerships that move innovation into real-world care.”
Through the PCYMH Collaboratory, the CHEO RI is:
- Advancing clinical trials in precision mental health
- Integrating data and digital tools into care
- Strengthening national and international collaborations
- Accelerating knowledge-sharing across research and health systems
Limited-series podcast
Building on this momentum, a limited-series podcast hosted by Dr. Pajer will be released in the coming months, featuring conversations with global leaders in precision mental health and extending the conference’s impact to a broader audience.