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January 2026
This month's brainbuzz™ features a recap of Research Day 2025, a celebration of advancements in Women's Brain Health research, and an evidence-informed guide to selecting mental health apps. Happy new year as the CAMH research community heads into 2026 with renewed energy and a shared commitment to advancing innovative, impactful mental health and addictions research.
Aristotle Voineskos
Senior VP Research & Science, CAMH
Research Day Recap: AI in Mental Health and Neuroscience
CAMH’s 2025 Research Day, held on November 21, brought together leading experts in artificial intelligence (AI), neuroscience, and mental health to explore how AI is reshaping research and care—and what responsible and meaningful implementation looks like today. After a brief welcome and opening remarks to the packed auditorium, the day moved quickly into a series of thought-provoking presentations and discussions highlighting both the potential and the practical realities of AI in the field.
The morning program opened with Dr. Tristan Glatard, Scientific Director of the Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics and Inaugural BMO Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Mental Health. He examined the “promises and pitfalls” of AI in neuroscience and mental health, underscoring both the rapid progress in computational methods and the ongoing challenges related to reliability, transparency, and ethics.
Next, Dr. Munmun De Choudhury (Georgia Tech) shared her pioneering work using online trace data to understand population-level mental health trends. Her talk demonstrated the power of AI to generate predictive and generative insights, while also calling for careful consideration around consent and digital governance.
Following the morning break, Dr. Nikos Koutsouleris (King’s College London & LMU Munich) described how AI can move the field “beyond accuracy” by uncovering mechanistic pathways and individualized illness trajectories. His work highlighted the potential for AI to illuminate the complexity of mental disorders in ways that support more personalized care.
A panel discussion featuring the morning speakers was moderated by Dr. Aristotle Voineskos, Senior Vice-President of Research and Science, and focused on implementation. Panelists emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary teams, robust validation, and clear operational pathways to move AI solutions from research settings to clinical environments.
The afternoon program shifted attention to fairness, responsibility, and real-world application of AI. Dr. Laura Sikstrom, Scientist, Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, explored human-AI teaming and equity considerations essential to responsible
deployment. Dr. Amol Verma (St. Michael’s Hospital / University of Toronto) followed with a practical roadmap for moving AI systems from “promising to proven” within healthcare, grounded in implementation science. Dr. Peter Selby, Senior Scientist, Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, then presented early evidence on agentic chatbots for addiction care, offering a
glimpse into emerging digital tools designed to support people with substance use challenges.
The day wrapped up with a lively rapid-fire debate featuring speakers from across the program. The debate brought forward reflections on opportunities, gaps, and the shared responsibility of ensuring that we all retain our critical thinking and patient-centric focus as AI use becomes more widespread. Participants left with a renewed sense of curiosity—and a clear message that responsible AI requires ongoing collaboration, thoughtful design, and rigorous testing.
Celebrating Women's Brain Health Day
December 2nd marked Women's Brain Health Day, an opportunity to reflect on how science can better support women’s brain health at every stage of life. Below, we highlight Dr. Liisa Galea’s work and share interviews with members of her lab, offering a closer look at the research, and the people, behind it.
More than half of Canada’s population is female, but the effects of hormonal changes on their brains remain significantly understudied.
To address this critical gap, CAMH Senior Scientist and womenmind™ Treliving Family Chair in Women's Mental Health Dr. Liisa Galea is exploring how hormonal changes, from puberty to menopause, influence the female brain.
She also advocates for health research, medical training and patient care that more adequately reflects those experiencing these changes.
Additionally, in the Galea lab, postdoctoral researcher Dr. Laura Gravelsins and PhD student Ahmad Mohammad are advancing our understanding of how women’s brain health changes across the lifespan—and how science can better support women at every stage. Through an interview series, they share their motivations, research, and a glimpse behind the scenes of their lives.
Mental Health Apps: What You Need to Know Before You Download
There are an estimated 10,000–20,000 mental health apps across major app stores, covering everything from stress management and sleep to therapy and peer support. But quantity doesn’t equal quality.
Research shows that only about 2–15% of these apps have any published evidence behind them. Dr. Gillian Strudwick, Interim Scientific Director of the Digital
Innovation Hub provides evidence-based tips on how to select one that is safe and effective.
Buzz-Worthy News
As generic GLP-1 medications, like Ozempic, are expected to arrive in Canada in 2026, Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam spoke with CBC Radio's The Current about what these treatments could mean, and what we need to watch for in the years to come.
Research is beginning to show an association between high-potency cannabis and the development of psychosis. Our Chief of Addictions, Dr. Leslie Buckley, recently sat down with Global News to discuss what we currently know about this association.
When people think of women’s health, they often think only of periods and pregnancy. But we know that women’s health goes beyond reproductive health – affecting every organ, including cardiovascular, bone, brain and mental health. Dr. Liisa Galea co-authored an article discussing the importance of studying the impact of sex and gender differences as we age.
