Research

About

The CLC research portfolio includes people with lived expertise related to navigating mental health and/or substance use challenges, people with professional expertise, and people with both perspectives who are committed to co-producing equitable and inclusive research.

Research garden banner

Historically, research in mental health and addiction has relegated people with lived expertise to the position of research subjects rather than recognizing them as leaders and partners in research. However, the field is shifting to engage people with lived experience as active and equal collaborators in research. Our work supports this shift by drawing researchers’ attention to the ongoing challenges related to engagement, representation, tokenism, and power in research. We promote equitable and collaborative research methodologies that support self-determination, epistemic justice, and lived experience leadership.

There are two teams that comprise this research portfolio.

Our Recovery, Our Outcomes Team

In 2020, we received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to conduct research on Recovery Colleges (RCs). The project, called “Our Recovery, Our Outcomes: Co-Producing an Evaluation of Recovery Colleges,” brought together researchers and people with lived experience to study evaluation strategies for RCs. This project had two phases: Phase one involved a literature review on RC evaluation (Lin et al., 2023). Phase two included interviews with 29 people who access, volunteer, or work with RCs in Canada. The interviews explored what people thought was important about RCs and their views on how best to evaluate them (Harris et al., 2023; Soklaridis et al., 2023). This research provided a foundation for RC research at CAMH.

CLC Research Subcommittee

The CLC Research Subcommittee facilitates and drives the strategic directions for RC research at CAMH by engaging the CLC community, exploring the mental health literature and leveraging members’ diverse areas of expertise. The subcommittee has several aims:

To guide research activities related to the CLC by engaging with the CLC community, the mental health literature, members’ lived/living expertise and their unique location within the mental health system
To create a space where people with learned and lived expertise can guide RC and CLC research in a collaborative way
To advise other groups in the mental health community on matters relating to RC, and CLC research and on cross-cutting issues of interest to the subcommittee

Please see the CLC Research Subcommittee’s terms of reference at the following link: Terms of Reference

To learn more about the members of our teams please see the following link: Meet Our Members!

What We've Been Up To

Author: Leanne Lacap, Research Subcommittee Member

Date: October 2026

What’s New

We are continuing our work on our principles-focused evaluation which involves examining our subcommittee’s adherence to our co-production principles and evaluating the associated impact. Currently, we are in the data analysis phase and are beginning to write the manuscript.
Recently, Dr. Natasha Spassiani joined our research subcommittee, and we are planning to co-produce an accessibility-related framework for Recovery Colleges with individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Presentations

We delivered an oral and poster presentation on our photovoice project at the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME) Annual Meeting in Kentucky, USA, in March 2026.
- The oral presentation received the Fox Award for Best Research presentation.
Holly, Sophie, and Amy from our subcommittee co-presented a workshop on meaningful engagement with people with lived experience in medical education research at the International Congress on Academic Medicine (ICAM) held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, in April 2026.
The photovoice project was featured in a poster presentation at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Research Engagement Day in Toronto, ON, Canada, in May 2026.
We presented our photovoice study at the Canadian Psychological Association in Montréal, Canada, in June 2026.

Our Selected Works

Soklaridis, S., Harris, H., Shier, R., Rovet, J., Black, G., Bellissimo, G., Gruszecki, S., Lin, E., & Di Giandomenico, A. (2024). A balancing act: navigating the nuances of co-production in mental health research. Research Involvement and Engagement, 10(1), 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-024-00561-7

Harris, H., Shier, R., Black, G., Di Giandomenico, A., Lin, E., Bellissimo, G., Rovet, J., Gruszecki, S. & Soklaridis, S. (2023). Finding connection “while everything is going to crap”: Experiences in Recovery Colleges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research Involvement and Engagement, 9(1), 77. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-023-00489-4

Lin. E., Harris, H., Black, G., Bellissimo, G., Di Giandomenico, A., Rodak, T., Costa-Dookhan K.A., Shier, R., Rovet, J., Gruszecki, S. & Soklaridis, S (2022). Evaluating Recovery Colleges: A co -created scoping review. Journal of Mental Health. 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2022.2140788

Lin, E., Harris, H., Gruszecki, S., Costa-Dookhan, K. A., Rodak, T., Sockalingam, S. & Soklaridis, S. (2022). Developing an evaluation framework for assessing the impact of recovery colleges: Protocol for a participatory stakeholder engagement process and cocreated scoping review. BMJ Open, 12(3), 1–6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-055289

Soklaridis, S., Harris, H., Gruszecki, S., Bellissimo, G., Shier, R., Di Giandomenico, A., Rovet, J., Black, G. & Lin, E. (2023). Fidelity and adaptation: Reflections on recovery colleges globally. Lancet Psychiatry, 10(10), 736–737. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(23)00290-0

Soklaridis, S., Shier, R., Black, G., Bellissimo, G., Di Giandomenico, A., Gruszecki, S., Lin, E., Rovet, J. & Harris, H. (2023). “My words matter”: Perspectives on evaluation from people who access and work in recovery colleges. Mental Health and Social Inclusion. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-01-2023-0002

Hawke, L. D., McKee, S., Harris, H., Hsieh, A., Svoboda, J., Sahaguian, M., Bellissimo, G., Hiebert, M., Lawless, K., James, G., Patenaude, S., Rovet, J., & Soklaridis, S. (2025). “every voice matters”: A photovoice study on the personal impacts of co-production in recovery Colleges. Health Expectations: An International Journal of Public Participation in Health Care and Health Policy, 28(5), e70441. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.70441

Hawke, L. D., McKee, S., Harris, H., Patenaude, S., Hsieh, A., Svoboda, J., Sahaguian, M., Bellissimo, G., Lawless, K., James, G., Rovet, J., & Soklaridis, S. (2026). “it’s something that will stay with me.” : A qualitative descriptive study of the experience of participating in a co-produced photovoice study. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 25(16094069261426084). https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069261426084

Hawke, L.D., Harris, H., Hsieh, A. , Sahaguian, M. , Bellissimo, G. , Lawless, K. , Svoboda, J., Sendanyoye, C., Hauer, S. , Munro, C. , McKee, S., Hiebert, M., Donner, K., Rovet, J., Soklaridis, S. (2025). The rigorous evaluation of engagement in mental health and substance use contexts: A mixed-methods platform of co-designed research in development. In Casebook of Patient and Public Engagement Evaluation in Health Research, Health Systems and Policy. Public and Patient Engagement Collaborative, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. P. 7-11. https://ppe.mcmaster.ca/casebook-public-and-patient-engagement-evaluation/

CAMH Collaborative Learning College Research Subcommittee. (2025, August 29). Photovoice Project: Impact of Coproduction in Recovery Colleges Across Canada [Video]. YouTube.

Research Opportunity Spotlight

Co-designing a Fairness Dashboard for Clinical Applications of Artificial Intelligence(AI) in Mental Health

The Fairness Dashboard project is engaging people with lived experience to explore how information about people's backgrounds, such as age, gender, race or ethnicity, and income, can support the fair use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in future mental health care. We are inviting Black and/or mixed-race adults with lived experience of mental health and/or substance use challenges to share their thoughts on the use and visualization of this information in a digital data dashboard during a virtual, 2-hour focus group taking place between July and August 2026. The feedback shared through this engagement will help guide the responsible and equitable use of these data that are grounded in lived experience. Participants will receive compensation for sharing their time and contributions.

If you are interested in participating in this study, you may contact us by email at: Predictive.Care@camh.ca or by phone at 416-580-1796.

Flyer

PICS Project

The PICS project is focused on developing and testing a questionnaire that measures the impact of co-production in mental health and substance use services, programs, and research. We are testing a questionnaire that assesses how involvement in co-production impacts people with lived and living experience. Participants in the study take part in a conversation with a member of the research team to learn more about the project, review eligibility, and complete the consent process if they choose to participate. Those who consent are invited to complete study questionnaires, helping the team test it. Participants will be compensated for their time. The PICS project is grounded in the value of lived and living expertise. By involving people with lived experience, the study seeks to support the thoughtful, responsive, and effective assessment of co-production.

If you would like to learn more about the PICS project, please contact the research team at pics@camh.ca or call/text 416-518-4658

You can also see more information here: Measuring the impacts of the co-production on people with lived experience | CAMH

Poster

Flyer

About the Research Spotlight:

The Research Opportunity Spotlight presents studies that are in the recruitment or planning phase and that are consistent with the values of our CLC community and the RC philosophy. These studies are led by or engage people with lived experience. They are RC-focused, personal recovery–oriented and rooted in the needs of the populations being researched. The Research Opportunity Spotlight showcases opportunities to join research teams or participate in studies. The CLC Research Subcommittee has conscientiously developed this process to establish connections between research initiatives and the CLC, ensuring that it serves as a platform for those interested without turning the CLC into a recruitment pool.

To apply to have your study featured on the Research Opportunity Spotlight, please complete the following form: https://edc.camhx.ca/redcap/surveys/?s=FKYTYDM7P8LH8XE3

The CLC has no formal affiliation to these studies unless stated otherwise. Participation is voluntary—there is no expectation that people who access the CLC get involved in research. Your participation will not influence your engagement or participation with the CLC.

If you are interested in other opportunities to participate in research at CAMH, please visit Research Connect. If you would like to join a research team as a Lived Experience Advisor at CAMH, please contact Melissa Hiebert, the CAMH Patient Engagement in Research Coordinator, at Melissa.hiebert@camh.ca.

Learn more about the research opportunity spotlight process.