The Need

In Canada, problems currently exist concerning patient access to mental health services. Simply adding additional providers is not a sustainable solution. Instead, it is important to build capacity through the development of continuing professional education and health system interventions to support mental health care providers and enable them to provide up-to-date care.

The Online Psychiatric Education Network (OPEN) will provide eLearning opportunities for health professionals, patients and their families.

The Goal

The goal of OPEN is to support health care communities in:

• Building knowledge
• Translating innovations
• Increasing capacity for care

OPEN Team

• Dr. Valerie Taylor, MD, FRCPC, PhD
  Adjunct Scientist, Women’s College Research Institute; Chief, General & Health Systems Psychiatry; Associate Professor & Co-Director, Equity, Gender and Population, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto
• Dr. Leila Lax BA, BScAAM, MEd, PhD
  Assistant Professor, Masters Program in Biomedical Communications, Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and University of Toronto Mississauga; Lead Scientist, Visual Knowledge Building & Translation (vKBT) Lab
• Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam MD, FRCPC, FAPM
  Deputy Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Toronto General Hospital & Princess Margaret Hospital; Director, Psychosocial Bariatric Surgery Program, University Health Network; Director, Continuing Professional & Practice Development and Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto
• Dr. Robin Mason PhD
  Education Scientist, Women’s College Research Institute; Assistant, Dalla Lana School of Public Health & Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto
• Dr. Renu Gupta MD, ABPN (diplomate)
  Psychiatrist, Women’s College Hospital; Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
• Dr. Dana Ross MD, MSc, FRCPC
  Psychiatrist, Women's College Hospital; Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
• Dr. Derek Ng BSc, MScBMC, PhD
  Assistant Professor, Biomedical Communications, Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and University of Toronto Mississauga
• Dr. Deanna Bruno MD, FRCPC
  Acting Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Women's College Hospital; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

Please see Partnerships for more information about the teams behind our eLearning modules.

eLearning Partnerships

eLearning has been used successfully and is a cost effective, efficient, easily-accessible, widely-distributed, and innovative way to offer evidence-based training, that can be systematically evaluated. Online training was a priority identified by the 2014 Mental Health Commission of Canada.

The Online Psychiatric Education Network (OPEN) at Women’s College Hospital and the Visual Knowledge Building & Translation (vKBT) Lab in Biomedical Communications at the University of Toronto have developed a shared vision and partnership to create OPEN. OPEN eLearning initiatives will use a design research iterative development and evaluation process. Upon implementation, the OPEN website will be accessible to health care practitioners and communities throughout Canada and internationally.

Competencies for Knowledge Translation to Practice

OPEN eLearning modules are designed based on the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons 2015 CanMEDS Roles and Competence by Design framework to support trajectories of lifelong learning and knowledge translation to practice.

OPEN Research Funding

University of Toronto, Department of Psychiatry Excellence Fund, 2014-15, CPD eLearning design of OPEN, $5,000.

Women's College Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, 2014-15, $5,000 matching funds.

Women's College Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, 2015-16, funding of 2 Biomedical Communications masters design research studies on the Neurobiology of Trauma & Antenatal Depression, $20,000 ($10,000 each).

Royal Bank of Canada, 2016, funding for OPEN eating disorders modules on Anorexia Nervosa & Obesity and Mental Health, eLearning design research studies, programming, and interactive assessments, $25,000.

Biomedical Communications, Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.

In-kind contributions for OPEN media and module web hosting and Faculty contributions to educational research and program design.