Mental Health, Mental Illness & Chronic Disease
“Mental Health, Mental Illness, and Chronic Disease” is the third webinar in a three-part series delivered jointly by the Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada (CDPAC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) Canadian Best Practices Initiative.
The webinar provides an opportunity to hear from and ask questions to expert speakers on:
- The magnitude, scope, and impacts of mental health and mental illness in Canada;
- How mental health, mental illness, and chronic disease are linked;
- Secondary prevention in mental health from a community mental health perspective; and
- Primary prevention, including population-level mental health promotion and mental illness prevention.
Mental illness touches most Canadians, either directly or indirectly, across the life course. This webinar will aim to raise people’s awareness and understanding about the links between mental health, mental illness, and chronic disease. It will explore several themes: the impact of chronic diseases on mental health, mental health promotion, primary and secondary prevention, and successful policy and practice interventions. To explore these themes, and highlight proven and promising initiatives from the field, we bring together expert speakers in chronic disease prevention and mental health promotion from the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health, and the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
Speakers:
John Higenbottam,
Chair, Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health
Dr. John Higenbottam is a neuropsychologist who has worked at all levels of the health care system. John is currently a health care consultant as well as Chair, Department of Psychology, Douglas College, New Westminster, BC. He is also an Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia. John is a member of the Service Systems Advisory Committee, Mental Health Commission of Canada as well as Co-chair, Canadian Alliance for Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH). John's major interests are brain injury and psychosocial rehabilitation and in developing, implementing, and evaluating recovery oriented mental health systems and service.
Amanda Slaunwhite,
Policy and Research Analyst, Knowledge Exchange Centre Mental Health Commission of Canada
Amanda Slaunwhite is Policy and Research Analyst at the Knowledge Exchange Centre of the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), and a PhD Candidate in Health Geography at the University of Victoria. Amanda contributes to several MHCC initiatives that work to better understand the links between mental health and chronic disease, including a systematic review project that was recently initiated in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Conference Board of Canada. Amanda also contributes to the Commission's CHEER (Collaborative Healthcare: Exchange, Evaluation, Research) initiative, and several projects focused on child and youth mental health. Amanda's
research interests include using geographic methods and tools to enhance health care planning in Canada.
Barbara Neuwelt,
Senior Policy and Research Analyst, Mental Health Commission of Canada
Barbara Neuwelt is completing her work as a Senior Policy and Research Analyst on the Mental Health Strategy team at the Mental Health Commission of Canada this month. Barbara's work on the strategy has particularly focused on mental health promotion and mental illness prevention. Barbara came to the MHCC from the Canadian Mental Health Association, where she was a policy analyst at the Ontario office with a particular focus on the links between chronic disease, mental health and mental illness. Barbara has 20 years of experience as a health promoter, program manager and policy analyst in primary health care and community mental health at local, provincial and national levels.
