Dr. Danielle Baribeau, clinician scientist and child and adolescent psychiatrist, has been awarded the 2023 Glenda M. MacQueen Memorial Career Development Award for Women in Psychiatry, announced on Saturday, Oct. 21, by the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (CIHR-INMHA) and the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA). She is the first scientist at the Bloorview Research Institute to receive this significant award.

“This is my first major award as an early career researcher, providing validation and encouragement during the challenging first few years of getting a research program started,” said Dr. Baribeau. “Dr. Glenda McQueen was a Canadian woman psychiatrist and scientist with a focus in understanding the biology of mental health problems and using this information to target new treatments. I have similar research interests and career goals and am honored to have the chance to follow in her footsteps.”    

A 2019 study by the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry examining gender inequity for academic psychiatrists in Canada found that women had fewer research publications than men, with a lower mean h-index, especially at the junior faculty level. This award was created because of the significant barriers women clinical psychiatrists face in initiating their careers in research.

Dr. Baribeau is the first child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Bloorview Research Institute , where she leads a research program focused on translating genetic advances into improved mental health care for children and youth with autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs).

In her clinical practice at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Dr. Baribeau provides longitudinal mental health care for children with NDDs. This award will directly support projects looking at mental health outcomes in youth with NDDs as they enter adolescence and help her build her clinical research program translating genetic findings into precision mental health strategies.

Dr. Glenda MacQueen was a trailblazer committed to tackling gender inequity throughout her career, and the award honours her commitment to providing academic and clinical opportunities for women in psychiatry.

The $100,000, 1-year award is funded by a collaboration between the CIHR-INMHA and the CPA. Together, they seek to provide financial resources to raise up women leaders to enhance academic achievement in mental health.

“I am grateful to the MacQueen family for this award, which will allow me to continue building my research team while providing training and career opportunities for women students and trainees with an interest in neuroscience and mental health. I am also grateful to Holland Bloorview, to my colleagues and mentors, and to the families and youth who have contributed to our work so far. ” Dr. Baribeau reflected.

Congratulations Dr. Baribeau on this incredible accomplishment and for championing women in psychiatry and STEM in the Bloorview Research Institute!