The Montreal WHO/PAHO Collaborating Centre: Striving to improve access to mental health care around the world




According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 450 million people in the world suffer from mental, neurological or behavioural problems. This is why the Montreal World Health Organization (WHO)/Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Collaborating Centre works with researchers at the Douglas Institute to improve access to mental health care around the world.

Created at the Douglas Institute in 1982, the Montreal WHO/PAHO Collaborating Centre takes a global perspective in mental health. It is particularly active in Latin American countries where there are clear mental health needs and a glaring lack of mental health specialists.

Towards better mental health policies

The Montreal WHO/PAHO Collaborating Centre plays an advisory, scientific and educational role. It has three main goals:

  • Participate in the design and implementation of general mental health programs based on WHO and PAHO orientations
     
  • Use relevant findings of scientists at the Douglas Institute to create effective measuring instruments
     
  • Train candidates from around the world in psychopharmacology, psychosocial rehabilitation, child psychiatry, community development, research methodology, policy creation, drug addiction treatment and prevention

Pursuing these goals requires a well-established network of consultants, such as those from McGill University (to which the Montreal Collaborating Centre is affiliated) and those from many other higher learning institutions, health care centres, community organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGO) around the world.

Research documentation

All documents concerning our international activities are available online in the documentation centre under the category WHO Collaborating Centre. You will also find official documents from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Panamerican Health Organisatino (PAHO) and the United Nation.

Office of the Director

Director
Marc Laporta, MD

Administrative Officer
Gabriel Audet

Douglas Institute Consultants
Thomas G. Brown, PhD
Caroline Dubé
Marie-Josée Fleury, PhD
Michel Perreault, PhD
Hélène Racine
Gustavo Turecki, MD, PhD
Duncan Pedersen MD, MPH

External Consultants
Ian Bradley, MD, McGill University
Diane Harvey, directrice générale, Association québécoise pour la réadaptation psychosociale (AQRP)
Jocelin Lecomte, Director of Research, Centre de réadaptation Lisette-Dupras and West Montreal Readaptation Centre
Céline Mercier, PhD, Principle Investigator, Centre de réadaptation Lisette-Dupras and West Montreal Readaptation Centre
Warren Steiner, MD, Psychiatrist-in-Chief, McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)
Bill Wilkerson, CEO, Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health
Mark Yaffe, MD, St. Mary's Hospital, Member of the International Division of the Department of Family Medicine, McGill University.

Contact Us

Montreal WHO/PAHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health
Douglas Institute
Dobell Pavilion, Room B-2132
6875, LaSalle Boulevard
Montreal,Quebec H4H 1R3

Tel: 514-761-6131, ext. 2734
Fax: 514-762-3040
gabriel_dot_audet_At_douglas_dot_mcgill_dot_ca