OTTAWA, ON and TORONTO, Nov. 19, 2025 /CNW/ – With 1.2 million Canadian children and youth affected by mental illness and emergency room visits up more than 60 per cent, the need for bold, innovative solutions has never been greater. A transformational $35 million gift from the Waverley House Foundation is enabling CHEO and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) to redefine mental health care for children and youth through precision medicine that offers personalized approaches.
Approximately seventy per cent of mental health challenges begin early in life, and early diagnosis and intervention are essential to long-term well-being. Precision mental health care uses data and research to tailor treatment to each young person’s unique biology, environment, lifestyle and experiences.
With precision approaches, Canada’s top pediatric experts at CHEO and SickKids are now working to predict risks earlier, personalize care more quickly, and help more children receive treatment that works for them.
A partnership built for impact, SickKids and CHEO are linking community-based care with cutting-edge research to unlock new possibilities for precision youth mental health. The Precision Child and Youth Mental Health Initiative (PCYMH) will harness data and innovation to move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches and deliver more effective, individualized care to children and families nationwide.
Through the generosity of the Waverley House Foundation and its founder, Bruce McKean, the CHEO-SickKids partnership focuses on three pillars:
- Data: Harnessing advanced analytics and machine learning to understand each patient’s unique profile.
- Talent: Bringing together leading experts to translate data into insight and innovation.
- Breakthroughs: Connecting biology, environment, lifestyle and lived experience to deliver better care.
The initiative has already enabled 14 innovative pilot projects delivering meaningful results. At CHEO, a study led by Dr. Kathleen Pajer, Senior Scientist and CHEO Research Institute Director for the CHEO Precision Child and Youth Mental Health Collaboratory, tailors mental health treatment to each child’s unique brain function profile – a now published approach that families call transformational, is valued by over 90 per cent of clinicians, and has great potential for new models of care.
At SickKids, Dr. Jacob Vorstman, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry, Senior Scientist, Genetics & Genome Biology and Director, Autism Research Unit, is using advanced machine learning to analyze extensive patient health records and identify critical mental health insights. The approach is helping emergency staff quickly recognize conditions such as autism or anxiety, enabling real-time, tailored care that transforms outcomes.
Another example at SickKids is Dr. Jennifer Crosbie, Scientific Lead, PCYMH, Psychologist and Senior Scientist at SickKids, and her research on the oral microbiome. She and her collaborators have found links between oral bacteria and mental health symptoms in 4,812 children from the Spit for Science study. Her research is helping identify associations that could lead to new personalized approaches to mental health treatment.
Quotes
“Traditional mental health treatments are our best and most current option for children and youth. But for up to half of the kids we see in hospital for these issues, standard treatments just don’t work. Thanks to the generosity of the Waverley House Foundation, we can move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach and advance precision mental health care that’s based on genetics, social and environmental factors and what’s going on in the individual lives of these young patients, so we can diagnose earlier and treat more effectively.”
– Dr. Kathleen Pajer (CHEO)
Senior Scientist, CHEO Research Institute
Director, CHEO Precision Child and Youth Mental Health Collaboratory
“This gift changes what’s possible for children’s mental health, and by working together, we can implement programs on multiple levels, ensuring that breakthroughs don’t just happen in one hospital, but they can benefit children across Canada. Funding advances in precision mental health care ultimately means personalized approaches that allow us to predict better and develop treatments based on each child’s unique characteristics.”
– Dr. Jennifer Crosbie (SickKids)
Clinical Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry
Senior Scientist, Neurosciences & Mental Health program at SickKids Research Institute
“The word precision is a bit of a paradox, because to truly personalize care for a single patient, we need data from large groups of young people, and that’s where this partnership is so impactful. The more we can connect genetic, environmental, and clinical information – from postal code to genetic code – the more precise we can be in understanding what factors drive vulnerability for and resilience against mental health and how best to treat it. It’s about turning big data into deeply personal care for every child.”
– Dr. Jacob Vorstman (SickKids)
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry
Senior Scientist, Genetics & Genome Biology and Director, Autism Research Unit
“I’ve seen how mental health challenges can ripple through families and generations. Too often, we react too late. Surely early detection and intervention in youth will change lives, save lives. As a father, grandfather, and former teacher, I see the energy, potential, and resilience of young people. Supporting CHEO and SickKids to bring greater precision to treatment will bring faster and better outcomes and give children and youth the best chance to thrive. The combination of vision, leadership and collaboration we see in CHEO and SickKids deserves the philanthropic support we are delighted to provide.”
– Bruce McKean (Waverley House Foundation)
Founder
“Bruce, your investment opens new pathways to care, accelerates innovation, and brings hope to those who need it most. Because of your leadership, we can strengthen supports, expand access, and create a future where young people can receive the mental health care they deserve. We are honoured by your trust and inspired by your compassion.”
– Steve Read (CHEO Foundation)
President and CEO
“On behalf of SickKids Foundation, we extend our deepest gratitude to Bruce McKean for his extraordinary generosity and vision. This transformational gift from the Waverley House Foundation changes the future of mental health care for children and youth across Canada. Bruce’s commitment to advancing precision medicine inspires us all, and his leadership empowers our teams to innovate, collaborate, and deliver hope to families who need it most. Together, we are building a legacy of compassion and possibility – ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive.”
– Jennifer Bernard (SickKids Foundation)
President and CEO
About CHEO Foundation
CHEO Foundation is the philanthropic arm of CHEO, CHEO Research Institute and Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice. For over 50 years, the CHEO Foundation has been the link between these respected institutions and the generous community that financially sustains them. CHEO Foundation staff are inspired by donors, and the community, who support pediatric healthcare, cutting-edge research and essential services to ensure children and youth can live their best lives. We are proud to put the interests of kids at the forefront of our decisions, and we are intentional in everything we do. We improve by learning from experiences and by being accountable for our outcomes.
About SickKids Foundation
SickKids Foundation raises funds on behalf of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and has raised more than $3 billion since 1972. Thanks to the generosity of the community, it is the largest charitable funder of child health care, research and learning in Canada. This philanthropy has helped fuel advancements in pediatric health and contributed to SickKids’ Newsweek ranking as the number one specialized pediatric hospital in the world in 2025. Precision health for every child is the future. At SickKids, it’s already begun. Join us at HealtheFuture.ca.
About Waverley House Foundation
Waverley House Foundation, founded by Bruce McKean, is dedicated to advancing mental health care and research so every person can access compassionate, effective, and personalized treatment.
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Media Contacts
CHEO
Katrina Bussey
kbussey@cheofoundation.com
SickKids Foundation
Sandra Chiovitti
Sandra.Chiovitti@sickkidsfoundation.com
SOURCE CHEO
