We are pleased to announce that Dr. Chris Perlman, associate director, Homewood Research Institute, and his team are the successful recipients of Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) and Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) funding to develop an inventory and resource guide for assessing and preventing suicide risk.

Among its many accomplishments, Homewood Research Institute, located in Guelph, Ontario, was a lead organization in the development of mental health assessment systems, such as the Resident Assessment Instrument – Mental Health (RAI-MH), the interRAI Community Mental Health, and the interRAI Emergency Screener for Psychiatry.

The five-member team—Dr. Chris Perlman, Dr. John Hirdes, Dr. Lynn Martin, Dr. Eva Neufeld, and Ms. Mary Goy—includes researchers, policy analysts, and clinicians with more than 20 years of experience conducting health and policy research at the regional, provincial, national, and international levels. All team members have tremendous expertise in mental health research.

Dr. Perlman and his team will be working closely with the Advisory Group and with members of the OHA and CPSI to develop the inventory and resource guide. The innovative guide will be available by fall 2011.