Left to right: Undergraduate student (Physical and Environmental Science) Fatima Khalil; Professor Amanda Uliaszek, Associate Director, Research, Inlight; PhD student (psychology) Delaram Farzanfar; Shari Russell Opara, Director, Health & Wellness, UTSC; and Sandy Welsh, Vice-Provost, Students, U of T. All presented at the annual symposium of the Inlight Student Mental Health Research Initiative on May 7. (Photo: Dewey Chang)

On May 7, almost 100 students, staff and researchers from across U of T and beyond gathered at Massey College to explore more inclusive, holistic approaches to student mental health. 

The annual symposium of the Inlight Student Mental Health Research Initiative (Inlight) was also part of Mental Health Week (May 6 to 10).  

Launched just over a year ago, Inlight is a tri-campus University of Toronto strategic initiative supporting collaborative research that aims to improve the mental health of post-secondary students. 

“Through extensive consultation and collaboration across our three campuses, we have created a vision for student mental health research grounded in the guiding principles of interdisciplinary excellence, knowledge mobilization and community engagement,” said Kristin Cleverley, Director and Chair of Inlight, in her opening remarks. 

Cleverley is also an Associate Professor in the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, where she holds the CAMH Chair in Mental Health Nursing Research. 

“Today is an opportunity not only to celebrate our accomplishments this year, but to look forward to what is next for Inlight and our network over the next several years,” she said. 

A key aspect of Inlight’s approach is co-creation — two-way engagement between mental health researchers and those who will ultimately use the new knowledge that is generated. 

“Since it was established, Inlight has built a foundation of collaboration between students, researchers and our Tri– Campus Student Mental Health Team,” said Sandy Welsh, U of T’s Vice-Provost, Students, in her opening remarks. 

“This integrated model is new for U of T, Canada, and even globally. It’s exciting to see its impact, and we are looking forward to its leadership role in the development of a more robust research agenda in student mental health here at U of T and beyond.” 

The co-creation approach was reflected in the design of the symposium: sessions were co-hosted by a member of Inlight’s leadership team and its student advisory committee, which includes undergraduate and graduate students from all three campuses. 

“Meaningful student engagement is critical in every step of the research process, from mobilization of knowledge to brainstorming of research-driven solutions,” said Kate Kim, an undergraduate student in psychology in the Faculty of Arts & Science and one of the members of the student advisory committee. 

“Students have the capacity to be co-investigators and expert advisors, as well as knowledge builders and users. Engaging community members in research that affects them can improve the validity, accuracy and credibility of research projects.” 

Members of Inlight’s student advisory committee helped organize and present the annual symposium of the Inlight Student Mental Health Research Initiative. Left to right: Rya Buckley, Charlie Sun, Delaram Farzanfar, Dinarshan Chandrakumar, Kate Kim, Anica Shum. (Photo: Dewey Chang) 

Kim co-presented a session on student engagement with Rya Buckley, a doctoral student in school and clinical child psychology at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. 

In addition to being a member of the student advisory committee, Buckley was one of seven recipients of the inaugural Inlight Research Fellowship Program, which supports independent student researchers in the field of post-secondary student mental health. The second cohort of Inlight Research Fellowship recipients was announced in March. 

Buckley’s research sets out to examine the unique experiences of racialized university students, including those with multiple intersecting identities, in accessing mental health services and supports. Together with other Inlight Research Fellows and researchers funded by or affiliated with Inlight, Buckley presented her findings at the symposium during a set of ‘lightning sessions’. 

Other projects at the lightning sessions included a study of physical exercise as a tool to promote and maintain mental health, and an examination of mental health navigators who can help bridge support services between CAMH, U of T and community partners. 

Throughout the symposium, the overall aim was to promote dialogues and help close the loop between mental health research and practice. 

“We’re starting to see examples already,” said Dinarshan Chandrakumar, a second-year psychology student at UTM and a member of Inlight’s student advisory committee. 

“I got talking to a researcher who is conducting a perceptions survey around mental health counselling on campus. Before even beginning to design the survey, she is consulting with students from all three campuses to make sure it’s something they will find useful. It feels like our voices are being heard.” 

“A big theme I heard throughout the day was connection,” says Delaram Farzanfar, a PhD student in psychology at UTM, and another member of the student advisory committee. 

“It’s great when people who hold different positions and perspectives can get in the same room and interact, because we need each other. We heal together, and by building these communities we can make real, meaningful change.”