Student Mental Health Symposium
Event Overview
In recent years, post-secondary students have been navigating a period of significant social change that calls for action to better understand their complex experiences, challenges, and future opportunities. In March 2026, McMaster’s Centre for Advanced Research on Mental Health and Society (ARMS) will bring together students, researchers, mental health practitioners and community partners to discuss the changing landscape of mental health at the post-secondary level, and to re-centre student lived experience as a vital form of expertise in shaping the next phase of student mental health research.
The program includes interdisciplinary panels on social and emotional wellbeing in higher education, barriers and facilitators to student mental health care, generative AI’s implications for learning and creativity, alongside student-led lived-experience panels and workshops focused on disconnection, burnout, and uncertainty about the future.
We welcome faculty, staff, students, and community members to register and take part in a collaborative discussion on student mental well-being. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be provided.
To get your symposium tickets, register here!
Symposium Location & Parking
Our symposium will be hosted on the McMaster University main campus in the Alumni Memorial Hall (AMH) building. Please find a copy of the campus map here for your convenience: https://parking.mcmaster.ca/map/
Parking: For guests attending events in AMH we recommend parking in Stadium Underground, or if spots are available in Lot E & Lot G between Peter George Centre for Living and Learning (PGCLL). Here is a walking route from Stadium Underground to AMH.
The Art of Connection
A key feature of this symposium is the Art of Connection: A student mental health showcase hosted by ARMS during the evening of March 12, 2026.
This showcase aims to initiate campus-wide discussions on mental health challenges and act as a powerful physical representation of a student-centred self-discovery process. The goal is to reduce stigma associated with mental health issues and provide a channel where students feel comfortable sharing personal struggles, which is an important first step towards improving mental wellness.
Registration for the Art of Connection is separate from the symposium ticket and can be found at here!
Symposium Schedule
8:45–9:15am – Breakfast
9:15–9:45am – Welcome Address
9:45–10:45am – Morning Keynote Address – Dr. John Naslund
- Dr. John Naslund (Co-Director, Mental Health for All Lab and faculty in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School)
10:45–11:00am – Break
11:00–11:45am – Researcher & Practitioner Panel
- Dr. Loa Gordon (Postdoctoral Fellow, Anthropology, Assistant Director [ARMS], McMaster University)
- Dr. James Gillett (Associate Professor in Health, Aging & Society, Academic Director, Community Research Platform [CRP], McMaster University)
- Dr. Matt Kwan (Associate Professor in Child and Youth Studies, Canada Research Chair in Youth Mental Health and Performance, Brock University)
- Angel Wang (Research Manager and Coordinator, Mental Health Systems and Services Lab, University of British Columbia)
- Tiana Mori (Researcher, Mental Health Systems and Services Lab, University of British Columbia)
11:45am–1:00pm – Lunch + Peer Pledge Wall
1:00–1:45pm – Afternoon Keynote Address Afternoon – Dr. Catharine Munn
- Dr. Catharine Munn (Assistant Dean, Resident Affairs, Postgraduate Medical Education [PGME] & Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University).
1:45–2:15pm – Reflections on Mental Health from the Director of ARMS – Dr. Marisa Young
- Dr. Marisa Young (Professor, Sociology, Canada Research Chair in Mental Health and Life Transitions, Academic Director [ARMS], McMaster University)
2:15–3:00pm – Moderated Lived Experience Panel
- Everett Christoff (Undergraduate Student and President of You’re Good McMaster: A Men’s Mental Health Initiative, McMaster University)
- Sydney Hunking (Master’s Student, Health, Aging & Society, McMaster University)
- Nick Yeung (Undergraduate Student, Social Psychology and Vice President of Programming of McMaster’s Social Sciences Society [MSSS], McMaster University)
- Yasmeen Mirza (Undergraduate Student, Social Psychology and Vice President of Academics of McMaster’s Social Sciences Society [MSSS], McMaster University)
- Cassandara Garcia (Master’s Student, Global Health and Member of MacChangers a Collaborative Experiential Learning Program, McMaster University)
- Emelea Shaua (Undergraduate Student, Health, Aging & Society with Specialization in Mental Health & Addictions and Cam’s Kids Ambassador, McMaster University)
- Alimujiang Mustitafa (Undergraduate Student, Health, Aging & Society, McMaster University)
3:00–3:15pm – Break
3:15–4:00pm – Special Topics in Mental Health (technology, social media & relationships)
- Emma Parker (PhD Student, Sociology, McMaster University)
- Rachel Gallagher (PhD Student, Sociology, McMaster University)
- Dr. Marisa Young (Professor, Sociology, Canada Research Chair in Mental Health and Life Transitions, Academic Director [ARMS], McMaster University)
4:00–4:15pm – Closing Remarks
A Special Thank You to…
The Student Mental Health Symposium is brought to you by the McMaster Museum of Art (MMA), the McMaster Centre for Health Equity (MCHE), the McMaster Community Research Platform (CRP), and the Centre for Advanced Research on Mental Health and Society (ARMS).
