Dr. Christopher Canning, PhD
Director, Research & Academics

Dr. Christopher Canning joined the Waypoint Research Institute as Director, Research & Academics in March of 2021. As Director he oversees the strategic goals of a diverse team of research scientists, clinician scientists, and other research and clinical staff within a tertiary mental healthcare setting. He maintains an independent research program in mental health policy and patient-oriented and community-engaged research. Bringing his own lived experiences to his research, policy and advocacy work, Christopher is deeply and personally committed to health equity, anti-racism and anti-oppression, and creating meaningful system transformation that puts people with lived experience at the center of services and supports.

Keywords: mental health policy, patient-oriented research, lived experiences, advocacy, equity. 

 Research Interests

Sociology and philosophy of mental health; knowledge mobilization; harm reduction; mental health and substance use policy; patient-oriented and community-engaged research; lived experience; equity.

Current Projects

Principal Investigator: Supporting the uptake of patient-oriented research in forensic mental health settings: A multi-site implementation project. Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research. $200,000 (2023-2025)

Principal Investigator: Scoping review of frameworks for supporting the mental health of people who work in the criminal justice and forensic mental health systems. Funder: Mental Health Commission of Canada. $55,000 (2023-2024)

Co-Principal Investigator: Strengthening the Delivery of Integrated Care in Specialized Mental Health Settings for Adults Experiencing Serious Mental Illness. Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research. $150,000 (2023-2024)

Co-Principal Investigator. Reducing traumatic and coercive experiences of mental health care for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC): A continuing professional development intervention. Funder: Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. $29,850 CDN. (2022-2024)

Co-Investigator: The collateral effects of COVID-19 public health policies: Perspectives of people who use opioids and those closest to them using a patient-oriented research approach. Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research. $150,000 (2023-2024)

Collaborator. A Mindful Way to Build Long-Term Resiliency in Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Funder: TD Ready Challenge. $335,000 (2022-2024)

Stay Connected

 [email protected]

Dr. Christopher Canning