Dr. Jitender Sareen
Dr. Jitender Sareen, a world leader in research on innovative mental health care delivery, will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award at The University of Winnipeg’s autumn convocation on Friday, October 12.
Sareen earned a Bachelor of Science degree at The University of Winnipeg in 1991. He also holds degrees from the University of Manitoba, and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada in Psychiatry. He is the medical director for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) Mental Health Program and is the department head of psychiatry at the University of Manitoba, where he is also a professor.
Sareen is a world leader in mental health research. Since 1997, he has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles and publications in the areas of traumatic stress, anxiety disorders, Indigenous suicide, psychiatric neuroimaging, and military mental health. Part of his research focusses on improving people’s access to mental health care by using innovative ways to deliver care and treatment — such as via internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy, telephone-based care, and large classroom-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy.
Among many research grants, Sareen has held Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) grants on military mental health as well as First Nations suicide prevention. He has also worked to examine the impact of trauma and post-traumatic stress among Canadians. As well, Sareen was the Winnipeg site co-principal investigator for the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Research Demonstration Project in Homelessness and Mental Health.
“Through his work, Dr. Sareen has increased the understanding of mental health issues and has made major contributions to the prevention of suicides, while creating positive change within the health care system. His impact has been felt both within his profession and on many communities. We are proud to recognize him with our Distinguished Alumni Award,” said Charles Beckley, president of UWinnipeg’s Alumni Association.
For more information please visit uwinnipeg.ca/convocation.
