Annual Inlight Symposium bridges research and practice to strengthen student mental health
Inlight held its 3rd annual research symposium on May 6 at the University of Toronto’s Schwartz Reisman Innovation Institute, facilitating dialogue between student researchers, faculty and staff around the importance of campus community partnerships and the advancement of student mental health and wellbeing.
Kristin Cleverley, Director of Inlight, shared in her opening remarks that the work of Inlight researchers at U of T, is reshaping how mental health care is understood on campuses, centring the student voice within research that spans multiple disciplines and divisions.
“We are approaching student mental health as a shared responsibility and a system-level priority, contributing to a growing global movement in research,” says Cleverley, who is also a Professor at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and the Rossy Chair in Campus Mental Health at U of T.
Before the symposium got underway, participants also heard from the honourable MPP Vijay Thanigasalam, Ontario’s Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, who emphasized the importance of collaboration in addressing mental health disparities.
“It was a privilege to participate in the Inlight Symposium and engage with the dedicated students and faculty driving multidisciplinary research across the University of Toronto’s three campuses,” said Associate Minister Thanigasalam. “Our government commends Inlight for its leadership in the vital field of post-secondary mental health. By prioritizing student-led engagement and fostering strategic partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem, Inlight is playing a crucial role in ensuring students have the support they need to thrive both personally and academically.”
This year, Vice-Provost, Students, Professor Sandy Welsh was also in attendance and participated in a fireside chat. In her responses, Welsh focused on how evidenced-based research is currently shaping policies, programs and care across the university in support of student mental health. She also touched on the need for more research in Canadian post-secondary schools about the lived experiences of students from diverse backgrounds including international students and how they access supports.
“Through collaboration with Inlight researchers, I hope that we will have a better understanding of how students access supports, and what barriers affect their reenrolment, graduation and overall success,” said Welsh.
The symposium’s opening panel explored the importance of intersectionality in shaping meaningful and effective partnerships between institutions and the community organizations that serve students with diverse identities and lived experiences. It was co-moderated by Professor Julius Haag, Inlight’s associate director, and Jenny Hui an Inlight Fellow and PhD student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).
Panelists including U of T Scarborough’s Notisha Massaquoi, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Society, and Chanda Chandalala, a Wellness Coordinator at UTSC Health and Wellness Centre discussed how understanding the intersections of race, gender, class, and disability might inform more responsively designed wellness programs, and approaches to student support.
In addition to highlighting ongoing initiatives and opportunities that support an interconnected approach to student mental health, the symposium also emphasized how researchers can move from generating evidence to driving impact, creating tangible and scalable innovations in student mental health care.
The second panel focused on sustainable changes in student mental health services, driving action and implementation of research. It was co-moderated by Professor Catherine Sabiston, Inlight’s Associate Director Engagement & Impact and Inlight Fellow Sandy Luu and highlighted how diverse research approaches and methods across disciplines, can generate evidence that drives decision-making and policy change.
The day wrapped up with a poster and networking session, engaging student and faculty researchers from across many divisions at the university, facilitating meaningful conversations about evidence-based solutions in student mental health. Inlight also announced the recipients of its 2025-2026 Research Grant competition, awarding five projects across the university with funding that will further support their research on post-secondary student mental health.
(Photo: Horst Herget)