The team is composed of 7 experienced suicide researchers from different disciplines and with a variety of research experience.
Lead Investigators
Gustavo Turecki, MD, PhD is a William Dawson Scholar, McGill University, Director of the McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Hospital Research Centre and Head of the Depressive Disorders Program, Douglas Hospital. He is also an Associate Professor with the Departments of Psychiatry and Human Genetics, McGill University.
Expertise: Suicide research, follow-back methodology and large-scale clinical mental health research projects.
Laurence J. Kirmayer, MD is a James McGill Professor of Psychiatry, McGill University and Director of the Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry and of the Culture and Mental Health Research Unit, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University.
Expertise: Cultural psychiatry, psychiatric anthropology, psychiatric epidemiology, ethnographic research on Inuit concepts of mental health and illness, epidemiological studies on risk and protective factors for suicide and attempted suicide among Inuit youth.
Project Co-investigators
Rod McCormick, PhD is a Mohawk Psychologist and Associate Professor in the Counseling Psychology Program, University of British Columbia. He is also a clinical consultant to several Aboriginal healing centres and organizations, as well as Health Canada.
Expertise: Aboriginal mental health and the development of culturally appropriate healing approaches for Aboriginal people (traditional healing).
Margaret Cargo, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, McGill University.
Expertise: Participatory research, evaluation of child and adolescent health promotion programs, community mobilisation, Aboriginal community health.
Jack Haggarty, MD is Medical Director of Community Mental Health Services at St. Joseph's Care Group, Thunder Bay, and Clinical Director of Shared Mental Health Services at Fort William and Port Arthur Clinic, Thunder Bay. He is also an Associate Professor, Northern Ontario School of Medicine and University of Toronto, and Adjunct Professor, University of Western Ontario.
Expertise: Mental health service delivery to First Nations people, collaborative mental health (primary mental health care), health outcomes, multimedia presentations, and epidemiological research in Inuit and First Nations communities.
Johanne Renaud, MD, MSc, FRCPC is a Child Psychiatrist and Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, Université de Montréal. She is also a member of the McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Hospital Research Centre. She holds a CIHR Young Investigator Award to study youth suicide risk factors.
Expertise: adolescent suicide research, mental health service research, childhood depression.
Cornelia Wieman, MD, FRCPC is Canada’s first female Aboriginal psychiatrist (Ojibway Nation). She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto.
Expertise: Aboriginal health and mental health issues, Aboriginal suicide prevention, Aboriginal research ethics.
Follow Back Study Coordinator
Jack Hicks is an External PhD student, Ilisimatusarfik (The University of Greenland). He served as the Director of Research
for the Nunavut Implementation Commission. He was the Director of Evaluation and Statistics for the Government of Nunavut, Iqaluit (april 1999-september 2004).
Expertise: Inuit social history, data collection in Inuit communities.
