Taking the fast track to brain health

Mitacs Elevate postdoc proves streamlining mental health testing is effective and advantageous

After doing her PhD at the University of Saskatchewan and returning to her home province of BC for a residency, Shawnda had a growing concern about how testing for mental illness and cognitive impairment was being done.

Currently, people have to go through lengthy tests of their concentration, learning, memory, reasoning, language, and other skills. Through Elevate, Shawnda began a two-year fellowship with Copeman Healthcare Centre, researching how much this process could be streamlined while maintaining its reliability.

“Previous researchers have designed assessment tools that are brief, streamlined, and easy to administer,” says Shawnda.

I studied these newer tools in comparison to the standard methods, and found that the assessment time could be reduced from two days per person to 30 minutes or less. Moreover, the results from the streamlined assessments are just as good as those from longer tests. This newer, faster way of testing can be used for people with psychological or cognitive health problems, as well as with patients who are just coming in for a general wellness check-up. Since the testing is so much shorter, it’s easier for doctors to administer, less stressful on patients, and will mean faster access to care.”

Copeman’s Director of Brain Health and Psychological Health, Elisabeth Sherman, says Shawnda’s research will have far-reaching implications.

“Family doctors are traditionally the first ones to see patients with mental health and neurological problems, but they have the least access to testing tools. That’s why we see backlogs when patients are referred to specialists for assessment. But with these new, shorter tests that are easier to administer, family doctors will have access to a quick snapshot of what a patient’s mental or cognitive health is like, allowing them to provide support and get into prevention a lot earlier.”

“Being more efficient, and being able to assess more people more rapidly will improve how we track mental and cognitive health issues in Canada,” says Shawnda,

After completing her fellowship, Shawnda was hired by Copeman Healthcare Centre, allowing her to continue her research as she helps patients.

Mitacs thanks the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia for their support of the Elevate research internship in this story. Across Canada, the Elevate program also receives support from Alberta Innovates, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, the Government of Prince Edward Island, the Government of Quebec, the Gvernment of Saskatchewan and Research Manitoba.

Do you have a business challenge that could benefit from a research solution? If so, contact Mitacs today to discuss partnership opportunities: BD@mitacs.ca

Mitacs Team

Mitacs’s website content is created by people throughout our organization, united in their passion for innovation and eager to share their perspectives with others in the innovation ecosystem. 

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