Inlight has built the expertise, resources and leadership to drive a whole campus approach to post-secondary mental health research, setting a new standard for improving student mental health and well-being.
Impact By the Numbers
All 15 research divisions at U of T are involved in Inlight research activities, ranging from medicine to engineering to architecture
Impact at U of T
Inlight’s impactful research is developing scalable innovation by drawing on the wealth of expertise in mental health research from different disciplines and divisions at U of T and community partners, while the team’s unique capacity to engage students as partners, embedding their perspectives into the services and systems created for them, is key to success.
Campus-Wide Impact: Implementing evidence-based mental health care on campuses
Inlight has partnered with the Tri-Campus Student Mental Health Team in the development of a stepped care model, redesigning campus health and wellness services to match students to the right level of care. Students now have access to same-day counselling and a navigation service to transition back to campus following acute, hospital-based care, in partnership with the Centre for Mental Health and Addiction (CAMH). This clinical redesign also establishes U of T as a learning health system, enabling the integration of data, evaluation and evidence into policy, practice and care.
Impact story: Expanding disability services to be more inclusive
University accessibility services are encountering unprecedented growth in the need to support the students with a primary mental health disability. Inlight is fueling research to find new ways of delivering mental health supports and improving access for equity deserving groups. This research promises to help U of T’s Accessibility Services enhance support for students living with a mental health disability.
Impact across Canada and globally
Building capacity in Canada for student mental health
Inlight is building a network of research-intensive and community-focused post-secondary institutions across Canada to share expertise and resources, including best practices for student engagement in mental health research, expertise in learning health systems and adopting a stepped-care model for student mental health and wellness services. Inlight’s training modules also help students, faculty, health services staff, administrators and others engage with student mental health research at post-secondary institutions across Canada.
Leading a growing global network for student mental health research
Inlight has established interdisciplinary research partnerships with leading student mental health researchers around the world, creating new professional development opportunities for students and a means to share knowledge and scale solutions. In response to the overwhelming international interest, Inlight is growing this network to incorporate new national and international partners, positioning Canada as a leader in this underserved field.
More Success Stories
Find more examples of Inlight’s impact by connecting with these key resources.
Student & Youth Mental Health Research Initiative – Five-Year Strategic Plan
In 2021, the Student & Youth Mental Health Research Initiative developed a Five-Year Strategic Plan. This work was led by the Steering, Student Advisory, and Clinical Advisory Committees and built on the recommendations developed by the University of Toronto...