~$HF 2010-11 annual report final from MOHLTC.txt

Since I assumed this position five years ago, much has changed at the Foundation:  the Foundation moved offices from College Street to Jarvis Street; Ms. Sandy Hengeveld and Ms. Emmanuelle Fontaine joined the staff; the Foundation moved from a paper-based system to a web-based system for applications and reports; Drs. Keith Jarvie and Vivian Rakoff began and completed their terms as, respectively, Chair and Vice-Chair;  six new members have joined the Board of the Foundation – Drs. Mary Seeman, Gregory Brown, George Tolomizencko, Mr. Herman Gill, Ms. Clare Sullivan, and Ms. Jeanette Lewis; Drs. William Avison and Harriet MacMillan were appointed Chair and Vice-Chair of the Foundation, and the membership of both the Grants and Fellowships Committees has changed considerably  since 2005. The Foundation has, however, continued – as it has for nearly 45 years – to support excellent research to promote the mental health of Ontarians, to prevent mental illness, and to improve diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.  

Perhaps the greatest change in my tenure as Executive Director has been the challenge of meeting the rising demand for mental health research funding in Ontario. In 2005, the Foundation received 65 fellowship/studentship applications and 60 grant applications; the Foundation was able to fund 33% of the fellowship/studentship applications and 25% of the grant applications.  In 2009, the number of fellowship/studentship applications had risen to 93 and the number of grant applications rose to 78; the Foundation was able to fund only 19% of the grant applications, but 34% of the fellowships/studentships.  

It is through the OMHF Board’s commitment to sustaining and enlarging the pool of mental health researchers in Ontario and its prudence in managing the funds provided through the generosity of the Government and taxpayers of Ontario that the Foundation has been able to continue to fulfill its mission.  The Board’s decision, for but one example, to allocate a greater portion of the available funds to support of students will ensure that mental health research in Ontario remains the most energetic in Canada. 	There are sure to be challenges ahead; I am also sure, however, that the Foundation with the counsel and support of the Board, the staff, the Ministry, and the volunteer scientists who serve on the Foundation’s peer review Committees will meet them and continue to deserve its reputation for excellence in mental health research.

I am grateful for the support of many people over the past year. The Board of the Foundation, both those whose terms have expired and the current members, has offered wise counsel and encouragement. Ms. Fontaine and Ms. Hengeveld keep the Foundation running smoothly and are responsible for the web-based application system. Thanks also to the staff of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care – Vasanthi Srinivasan, Anne Bowlby, Brian Davidson, Danielle Laymen-Pleet, Christy Pentland, and Amy Herskowitz; their commitment to the mental health of Ontarians is evident in the work of the Foundation.

The members of the Foundation’s peer review Committees – Grant and Fellowships – are the backbone of the Foundation’s mission. The Chairs of the Committees – Drs. Patricia Rosebush (McMaster) and Steffany Bennett (Ottawa) have completed their terms. Both have been energetic and wise in their leadership and have been of inestimable help to me. Dr. Michael Kawaja (Queen’s) will serve as Chair of the Grants Committee and Dr. John Sylvestre (Ottawa) as the Chair of Fellowships. As usual, there are arrivals and departures to acknowledge. Drs. Walter Rushlow and Tracy Vaillancourt have left the Grants Committee; we welcome Dr. Steven Laviolette to that Committee. Drs. Michael Mazurek and Ayal Schaffer have left the Fellowships Committee. My thanks to all of the panels’ members for their commitment to mental health in Ontario.







Dr. Alexander Greer

Executive Director

July 2010