Speakers

Transforming Mental Health Diagnosis with AI: Benefits, Risks, and Solutions

Mah is a research associate in the Department of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University, where she focuses on integrating mobile sensing technology and AI for anxiety diagnosis. She also serves as a scientific consultant at The Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health — Douglas Mental Health University Institute — McGill University, contributing to the development of machine learning and deep learning models for mental health conditions, particularly schizophrenia and psychosis. Passionate about applying AI to improve diagnosis and treatment of mental and neurodegenerative disorders, her research has been published in respected journals including Artificial Intelligence Review, Alzheimer’s & Dementia, and BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making.

AI in the Mirror: Promise, Peril, and the Posture of Care

Lisa is a psychotherapist, community healer, and researcher whose work blends ancestral wisdom with new possibilities in mental health. She’s the founder of Omora Healing and Clinical Director at the Black Healing Center, where she trained community care practitioners, and facilitated collective care circles and healing retreats. An affiliate assistant professor at Concordia University, Lisa’s research explores culturally attuned approaches to mental health. From storytelling to exploring the ethical use of AI in healing, Lisa’s mission is simple: to help people feel seen, heard, and cared for—no matter where they are.

Against the Grain: Building Cultures of Collaboration in Mental Health Research

Nicole is an applied health researcher focused on youth mental health, social determinants of health, and systems change. She is currently an embedded researcher at Jack.org and a postdoctoral fellow at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Her work examines community-based and decolonial approaches to mental health promotion, including the development of social prescribing models that connect young people with social, cultural, and peer supports. Nicole has led the design and evaluation of mental health programs for equity-deserving youth, including Black and Indigenous communities, and has contributed to the development of digital mental health resources to strengthen mental health literacy and support help-seeking among young people. A central thread across her work is advancing equity in mental health systems by centering the voices and needs of those most affected by structural and systemic barriers. Her research bridges public health, implementation science, and mental health promotion.