Dr. Allison Crawford has been appointed as the UArctic Chair in Public Mental Health and Community-centered Digital Innovation. A psychiatrist and Professor at the University of Toronto's Department of Psychiatry and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Dr. Crawford is also the Medical Director of Virtual Care and Psychiatry Outreach at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Canada’s largest mental health and research hospital.
Dr. Crawford is a renowned leader in public mental health, suicide prevention, and digital health innovation, with a focus on Arctic and remote communities. Her work integrates participatory research, Indigenous knowledges, and digital solutions to address pressing mental health challenges across the Arctic. She leads a community-based mental health service through the Government of Nunavut and is the Chief Medical Officer for the 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline, which includes a specialized pathway for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis callers and texters.
Through her HeART Lab (Health Equity through Art, Research, and Technology), Dr. Crawford has collaborated with the Sustainable Development Working Group of the Arctic Council and Permanent Participants to bring together youth from Arctic communities in Canada, Greenland, Finland, Iceland and Norway to engage youth in mental health research using technology.
A recognized leader in digital health, Dr. Crawford has developed national practice standards, a digital health equity framework, and the concept of digital compassion. She was named a Top 10 Digital Health Leader by Digital Health Canada in 2020 and served as a Fulbright Research Chair at Johns Hopkins University, deepening her work in Indigenous health and well-being.
As UArctic Chair, Dr. Crawford will continue her long-standing engagement with Arctic communities, leveraging CAMH’s advanced research infrastructure in artificial intelligence, digital health, and health equity. She aims to lead community-based conversations to identify mental health priorities and develop culturally meaningful digital health solutions, ensuring Indigenous knowledge and leadership are central to her work.