Six innovative research projects funded through the annual University Medical Research Fund (UMRF) grant competition will advance understanding of schizophrenia, insomnia, sexual offending, and the experiences of Indigenous Peoples in the justice system. These studies aim to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, while ensuring care is safer, more personalized, and more accessible.Congratulations to this year’s recipients!
The UMRF grant competition is made possible by contributions from the members of The Royal’s Associates in Psychiatry, and was established to foster novel, multi-and inter-disciplinary research at The Royal, which closely integrates research and care, with the goal to improve care, access, quality and safety.
Thanks to UMRF funding, the teams behind these forward-thinking research projects at The Royal will be supported as they embark on cutting-edge studies to improve care, and help people with mental health and substance use needs get better, faster.
“Teams that bring together varied expertise, ideas and perspectives challenge each other to deliver innovative research that provides both hope and care for those living with mental illness,” says Dr. Florence Dzierszinski, President of the University of Ottawa Institute for Mental Health Research at The Royal. “The UMRF grant competition has enabled ground-breaking and life-changing research here at The Royal and we wish to thank the Associates for their continued contributions to fund this program.”
2025 UMRF recipients
Exploring multidimensional insomnia phenotypes and their predictive value for treatment response: A naturalistic observational study
Research team: Soojin Chun (Principal Investigator), Rebecca Robillard, Elliot Lee, Lisa Kis, Sophiya Benjamin, Michael Samson, Andree-Ann Baril, Alan Douglass, Colleen Carney, Anik Gosselin, Caitlin Higginson, Jaqueline Fournier
Funding: $100,000 over two years
Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders, yet most research has focused on narrow groups that don’t reflect the full range of experiences. Current approaches often classify people with insomnia by whether they sleep less than six hours or more than six hours a night, but this system is limited and overlooks factors like sleep quality, brain activity, and stress.
This study will use wearable sleep and heart monitors alongside therapy at The Royal’s new Insomnia Clinic to create more accurate “profiles” of insomnia. By linking these profiles to treatment response, researchers aim to personalize care, improve outcomes from cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), and reduce the broader mental and physical health impacts of poor sleep.
Polypharmacy in Forensic vs. Non-Forensic Schizophrenia Clients: A Comparative Analysis of Treatment Resistance and Clozapine Use
Research team: Amanjot Sandhu (Principal Investigator), John Bradford, Sanjiv Gulati, Gary Chaimowitz, Andrew Olagunju, Mark Kaggwa, Precious Agboinghale, Sydney Graham
Funding: $96,640 over two years
Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness usually treated with a single antipsychotic medication. However, in many cases—especially when symptoms don’t improve—patients are prescribed multiple antipsychotics at once, a practice known as polypharmacy. While sometimes necessary, polypharmacy is linked to serious side effects, including weight gain, metabolic problems, and cognitive impairment. This issue is particularly pressing in forensic psychiatric settings, where treatment-resistant schizophrenia is more common and polypharmacy rates are much higher than in general psychiatric care.
This study will compare rates of treatment resistance and polypharmacy in forensic and non-forensic clients living with schizophrenia at The Royal, Brockville Mental Health Centre, and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. By examining prescribing patterns and associated factors, the research aims to determine whether polypharmacy is being used appropriately or excessively in forensic settings. Findings could guide more ethical and effective treatment practices, improve care for a highly stigmatized population, and lay the groundwork for larger studies across Ontario.
Assessing glutamatergic dysfunction in schizophrenia using PET and MRI
Research team: TiChen Hsieh (Principal Investigator), Reggie Taylor, Hussein Bdair, Lauri Tuominen, Synthia Guimond
Funding: $96,996 over two years
Schizophrenia affects about 1% of the population and costs Canada nearly $10 billion each year. While current treatments are effective for positive symptoms like hallucinations and delusions, they do little for negative and cognitive symptoms, such as lack of motivation or memory problems, which are harder to treat and have a greater impact on long-term quality of life. One theory is that these symptoms may be tied to an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory brain activity, measured through neurotransmitters like glutamate and GABA.
This study will use advanced brain imaging at The Royal to measure this excitatory/inhibitory balance in people with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls. By combining PET and MRI scans with cognitive and symptom assessments, researchers aim to uncover how changes in brain chemistry and receptor activity relate to negative and cognitive symptoms. The findings could lead to new treatment targets, improve diagnosis, and provide much-needed options for improving quality of life in people living with schizophrenia.
Statutory Sexual Offending: Perpetration and Victimization in Canada
Research team: Jonathan Gray (Principal Investigator), Michael Seto, Kailey Roche, Madison McAskill
Funding: $89,501 over two years
Statutory sexual offending involves sexual relationships between adults and adolescents aged 13 to 15, who are below Canada’s legal age of consent. Unlike other forms of child sexual abuse, these relationships are often ongoing and sometimes initiated by the adolescent, making them poorly understood and rarely reported. While research shows these relationships can harm adolescents, most studies focus only on cases brought to police, leaving major gaps in knowledge about the adults, the youth involved, and the role of online technologies.
This project will address those gaps through three studies: a chart review of adults seen at The Royal’s Sexual Behaviours Clinic, a national survey of adults who may have engaged in statutory relationships, and a survey of young adults who experienced these relationships as teens. Together, the studies will provide new insights into both perpetrators and victims, highlight treatment and prevention needs, and inform education for families, schools, and communities to better protect adolescents.
Indigenous offender perceptions of the Ontario Review Board
Research team: Floyd Wood (Principal Investigator), Amy Bombay, Gary Chaimowitz, Treena Wilkie, Maryana Kravtsenyuk
Funding: $84,124 over two years
Indigenous Peoples are overrepresented in Canada’s criminal justice system, yet little is known about their experiences under the Ontario Review Board (ORB), which oversees individuals found not criminally responsible or unfit to stand trial. While Gladue principles require courts to consider the unique circumstances of Indigenous offenders, it is unclear how consistently these principles are applied within ORB proceedings. Early research suggests Indigenous individuals may spend longer under the ORB despite low recidivism when offered culturally relevant programming, highlighting the need for focused study.
This timely project will review charts, conduct interviews and sharing circles, and collect survey data from Indigenous individuals currently or previously under the ORB at three Ontario sites. The goal is to assess perceptions of cultural safety, identify gaps in trauma-informed and culturally relevant care, and gather recommendations for change. Findings will help inform more culturally safe interventions, guide ORB practices, and support efforts to address systemic inequities faced by Indigenous offenders.
Adjunctive Methylphenidate extended release in patients with schizophrenia: a single-centre fixed dose cross-over open-label trial to improve functional and cognitive outcomes
Research team: Naista Zhand (Principal Investigator), Alain Labelle, Jennifer Kutten, Carrie Robertson, Ali Manghi
Funding: $100,000 over two years
Clozapine is the most effective treatment for people with treatment-resistant schizophrenia, but it remains underused despite its clear benefits for symptom control, suicide prevention, and quality of life. Recent international studies have raised concerns that long-term clozapine use may increase the risk of blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. While these risks appear small, they could further discourage clozapine use, making it important to confirm whether the findings apply in Canada, where the drug is carefully monitored.
This study will use Ontario health records and cancer registry data to compare blood cancer rates in people with schizophrenia taking clozapine versus other antipsychotics. Researchers will also examine whether cancer risk depends on dose, duration, or patient factors such as age and sex, and gather perspectives from patients and families through focus groups. Results will provide clear evidence on clozapine’s safety in Canada, supporting more informed treatment decisions and potentially improving monitoring and access to this life-saving medication.