AI & Mental Health
This Community of Practice aims to share key research, resources, and clinical information to help health professionals deliver better mental health care. This collaborative community was launched in 2026. Members of this community are from Canada's leading mental health organizations and research institutions, including St. Michael's Hospital and CAMH in Toronto.
Dr. Venkhat Bhat
• Staff Psychiatrist I St. Michael's Hospital & University Health Network
• Director I AI for Mental Health (AI-M) Program
• Associate Professor of Psychiatry I University of Toronto
• AI for Mental Health (AI-M) Program: https://ai.psychiatry.utoronto.ca/
• What are your goals for the Community of Practice for Artificial Intelligence in Mental Health?
Our goals are to advance AI for mental health and AI at the intersection of mental health and medical illness. We aim to drive responsible, scalable innovation that improves access, precision, and integration across health systems.
• What inspired your interest in AI?
My interest stems from a long-standing fascination with the bidirectional relationship between AI and neuroscience, how models are inspired by the brain and how AI can, in turn, advance our understanding of it. I developed and led the AI for Mental Health research program, focusing on the development and deployment of algorithms to address real-world clinical, research, and workflow challenges.
• What does this community do to advance mental health and AI among its members?
As part of T CAIREM’s pan-Canadian, interdisciplinary network, the CoP connects local, national, and international experts across specialties. We organize symposia in cities and universities to bring together local communities interested in AI and mental health with national expertise, support grant development, engage trainees, and provide a structured forum to share data, methods, and implementation lessons while addressing safety and governance.
• What’s the best way for people interested in joining this CoP? Are students eligible to join? Is it only available to U of T faculty? Are mental health researchers and clinicians from non-U of T organizations eligible to join?
T CAIREM is a pan-Canadian, interdisciplinary network. Anyone interested in AI for mental health, including students, trainees, faculty, clinicians, engineers, and researchers from U of T and other institutions, is welcome to reach out and participate.