U of T partners with foundation and introduces an academic appointment to improve student mental health

For the University of Toronto, partnering with The Rossy Foundation was a dream scenario: both are committed to improving mental health and wellness on campus. Add in the ideal candidate, Dr. Kristin Cleverley, for the inaugural Rossy Chair in Campus Mental Health, and much of their shared vision is coming to fruition.

With a five-year term beginning July 1, 2024, Cleverley, an associate professor at U of T’s Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, will continue to forge links with other researchers, maintaining an interdisciplinary, collaborative program to provide evidence-based insights and advice that will help inform and enhance the University’s approach to postsecondary student mental health and wellness.

“As a leading researcher in youth mental health, Kristin is the perfect choice for this crucial role at the University,” says Robyn Stremler, Dean of the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing. 

“She brings an abundance of experience and a wealth of knowledge to the position through her research and has established global connections and partnerships through her role as Director of Inlight, the U of T Student Mental Health Research Initiative, helping to advance student-led research in mental health. The campus and the students stand to benefit tremendously from her leadership.”

Though the Rossy Chair has a broad reach, working with administrative departments across all three campuses, Cleverley will work closely with Student Mental Health Systems, Policy & Strategy, and reports directly to Professor Sandy Welsh, U of T’s Vice-Provost, Students.

“I’m grateful for this partnership with The Rossy Foundation and thrilled to have Kristin join us as the first Rossy Chair in Campus Mental Health,” says Welsh.

“This academic appointment aligns with several of the recommendations put forward by the U of T’s Presidential and Provostial Mental Health Task Force – in terms of improving mental health literacy within our community of students, faculty, and staff, and also in expanding on the range of resources we offer and ensuring access to timely mental health care for students.”

Published in December 2019, the final report of the Task Force included 21 recommendations, ranging from ‘building a better culture of care’ on all three campuses at U of T to ‘establishing an institutional strategic research initiative focused on student mental health.’

With the recommendations of the task force as a guide, Cleverley will also advise on the efficacy and integration of student mental health services and service-delivery practices. She will also consider the diversity of lived experiences that U of T students bring with them and work with a broad range of community members to engender an environment of compassion, inclusivity, and support.

The Rossy Chair is made possible with a strategic investment by The Rossy Foundation that aims to transform how Canadian campuses approach mental health. 

A Montreal-based private foundation with the mission to improve the lives of Canadians and Canadian society, The Rossy Foundation supports initiatives that foster healthy and resilient communities and champions changemakers and leading organizations that are solving complex and persistent social problems. Along with the Rossy Chair, funding from the Foundation is also supporting the Koffler Student Services Centre renovation project that is making Health & Wellness services for students at U of T more accessible, providing better spaces for mental health care for the entire community, and enabling the university to take a more holistic and student-centered approach to its programs and services.

“Kristin Cleverley will bring strong leadership and expertise as the Rossy Chair in Campus Mental Health,” says Sara Pedersen from The Rossy Foundation.
“This critical new role will build on our progress to date—elevating the bar for campus wellness services and improving students’ lives.”

Dr. Cleverley, who is also appointed as Chair in Mental Health Nursing Research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), brings a wealth of expertise to this position: she is an award-winning academic who has received more than $20M in research funding (as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator) and has over 90 academic papers. Additionally, Cleverley was successful in a highly competitive $1 million Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Teams grant to evaluate the University of Toronto Navigation Service, an acute mental health care transition pathway for postsecondary students, and she has expertise in designing, implementing, and evaluating innovative mental health programs and interventions.

Dr. Cleverley has collaborated with researchers in her field from around the world and has a remarkable list of accomplishments in mental health, with her efforts recently focused on her role as Director of Inlight, which she led the launch of in 2021. She and the Inlight team have cultivated collaborations within U of T’s Student Mental Health Team and its health centres and across academic divisions to enable groundbreaking tri-campus projects. The work being done through Inlight as well as the Rossy Chair will position U of T as a global leader in student mental health research.

“I’m delighted to have been selected as the inaugural Rossy Chair in Campus Mental Health at the University of Toronto and for this profoundly important opportunity,” says Cleverley.

“The strong partnerships and innovative research program in student and youth mental health that I’ve developed in collaboration with students, staff, and faculty over the past two decades will serve as key underpinnings for forward-thinking and effective approaches to improved mental health and wellbeing at U of T.”