Research summary
Mental health issues affect millions of Canadian youth and young adults. As Canada Research Chair in Innovations for Youth Mental Health, Dr. Shalini Lal is advancing the use of digital health innovations to improve the quality and sustainability of mental health services for these age groups. She also aims to improve young people’s ability to access these services.
She and her research team are focused on developing, adapting, testing and scaling up the implementation of health innovations in a range of real-world settings. They are also generating evidence related to the use of health innovations among youth who face multiple barriers to accessing mental health services, such as housing instability, neurodevelopmental or physical disabilities, and limited education, training or employment. Ultimately, their work could help Canadian youth lead healthier, happier lives—especially those who face more significant challenges.