Credits – Perinatal Mental Health

Acknowledgements

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the women who participated in this study by sharing their experiences with our team, as well as to the members of our expert advisory panel (see members below). Special thanks to the excellent support from the St. Mary’s Research Centre administrative and research ethics teams. Our team would also like to acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Sandra Peláez who conducted some of the preliminary interviews with participants for this project. Finally, thanks to our summer, practicum and part-time student research assistants Stephanie Babinski (University of Toronto), Donna Plett (University of Toronto), Emilie Richer (University of Western Ontario), Hargun Kaur (McMaster University), and Yousra Lakhani (McMaster University) for help with various aspects of this study, including data collection, the gathering of resources, project administration, recruitment, translation, communications,  manuscript development, and social media support. Thanks also to Dr. Joel Montanez and Nicholas Gulino who helped to create the short catalyst film developed from the initial interviews (see: https://healthexperiences.ca/perinatal-mental-health/mental-health-and-pregnancy/). Finally, we are grateful for the support from Sandhya Baskaran, Research Assistant in the early stages of this study, and from Dr. Emilie Dionne, who co-authored (with others on the team) the writing and publication of the paper published from the initial interviews (see: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/inm.12884).

 

Core Research Team:

Susan Law, PhD (Principal Investigator) 
Susan has led the Health Experiences Research Canada (HERC) Program since its beginning, and at the time of this study was a Senior Scientist at Trillium Health Partners – Institute for Better Health as well as an Associate Professor at the Institute for Health Policy, Management & Evaluation (IPHME), University of Toronto. Susan oversaw all aspects of this research, including study design, data collection, analysis and dissemination.

Ana Keller, PhD (Qualitative Researcher and Study Coordinator)
Ana worked as a clinical nurse in a pediatric ward in Brazil and has a master’s degree in nursing from the Federal University of São Carlos. She completed her PhD at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, which included time as a Graduate Research Trainee at Ingram School of Nursing at McGill University. She worked as the study coordinator for this module, conducted interviews with participants,  and contributed to the analysis and writing of topic pages.

Ilja Ormel, MSc PH, PhD (Senior Qualitative Researcher) 
Ilja has worked with the HERC initiative since its beginning in 2011 and currently works at the Canadian Red Cross in the Health in Emergencies department as a senior manager for Health Intelligence, Research and Development. She has a master’s degree in public health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and completed her PhD in Family Medicine at McGill University. She conducted interviews with participants for this module and contributed to the analysis and writing of the topic pages for the website.

Linda Rozmovits, DPhil (Senior Qualitative Researcher) 
Linda is a qualitative health researcher, writer, editor, and educator. She has over 20 years’ experience in academic and applied qualitative health research in Canada, the US, and the UK. Linda was a member of the original health experiences research group at Oxford University and now lives in Canada. She conducted interviews with participants for this module. 

Jane Sandercock, MSc, BScOT (Qualitative Researcher) 
Jane is an experienced qualitative researcher. She received her master’s in Health Research Methods from McMaster University, combining research, education and academic support with clinical work as an Occupational Therapist. She joined the team in the latter half of the project to support the qualitative analysis and preparation of the materials for the website module.

Hannah Schwartz, MD FRCPC (Clinical Lead and Co-Investigator) 
Hannah is the Site Co-Chief, Department of Psychiatry, St. Mary’s Hospital Center, CIUSSS ODIM, & Assistant Professor (Clinical), McGill University. She is a psychiatrist who specializes in perinatal mental health. Hannah provided timely and insightful clinical advice to the team throughout the data collection and analysis, as well as contributing to the writing and review of the materials for the website.

Ryan Caulfeild, BCOM (Technical Lead for HERC) 
Ryan is a graduate from McMaster University with a background in information technology and has worked to provide stellar technical support for HERC projects for the past several years. He helped with the extraction and management of clips on our various platforms to produce the web module and overall editing to ensure confidentiality as per participants’ consent. His role in data management and web functionality has been integral for our work.

Co-investigators & Collaborators:

Emily Marshall, PhD. Professor, Dalhousie University Department of Family Medicine; Director, Strategy for Patient Oriented Research (SPOR) BRIC-Nova Scotia Network, Nova Scotia.

Lynn Bussey, MD, CCFP, FPCP. Family Physician and Former Head of IWK Department of Family Medicine – Maternal Newborn Care, Nova Scotia; Assistant Professor, Dalhousie University Department of Family Medicine. 

Nichole Herschenhous, MD. Psychiatrist at Reproductive Mental Health, IWK, Nova Scotia.

Tanya Tulipan, Perinatal Psychiatrist and the Physician Co-Lead at Reproductive Mental Health Service, IWK, Halifax; Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University.

Expert Advisory Panel:

The following group of patient partners, perinatal mental health providers, other researchers and collaborators provided timely and insightful support, help with recruitment, and advice throughout the project as members of the Expert Advisory Panel. Their contributions helped to keep our focus on the lived experience and relevance for patients and the healthcare professionals who care for them.

Barbara Hayton, MDCM, Family Physician and former director of the Perinatal Mental Health service at the Jewish General Hospital, Montreal; Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine, McGill University..

Debbie Josephson, MDCM, Family Physician (retired) and former HERC Clinical Advisor.

Stefanie Mangel, RN, BScN, MScN, High Risk Pregnancy Clinic, St. Mary’s Hospital.

Kathleen Rice, PhD, SSHRC Tier II Canada Research Chair in the Medical Anthropology of Primary Care, McGill University, Department of Family Medicine.

Beth Clark, Patient partner and person with lived experience (PWLE).

Jaime Charlebois, MSc (Nursing) and PWLE; Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative (N.B. this organization is now closed).

Patricia Tomasi, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative (N.B. this organization is now closed).

Michelle Rorquist, Patient partner and PWLE.

Trista Legett, SF-CPM, Midwife, St. Mary’s Hospital, Montreal.

 

Funding: Royal Bank of Canada Foundation, via St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation

Research Ethics Approval: St. Mary’s Research Ethics Board (#SMH-21-11)