Free Event for Patients and Families // Ask the Experts: Mental health and Stroke

About the event:

While the physical impacts of stroke are often discussed, many people also experience changes in their mental health after suffering a stroke. This can include symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as others. Some of the symptoms may be related to biological changes in the brain, while others are likely more related to the psychological effect of stroke. In this presentation, Drs. Kathleen Sheehan (psychiatrist) and Aleksandra Pikula (neurologist) will talk about the impact of stroke on people's mental health, as well as ways of coping and managing with these.

Dr. Kathleen Sheehan (she/her) is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry and a clinician-investigator with the medical and inpatient psychiatry programs at the University Health Network Centre for Mental Health. She completed her B.Sc. in Neuroscience at the University of St. Andrews and then obtained both her Masters in Neuroscience and Doctorate in Social Psychiatry at the University of Oxford. Subsequently, she graduated from the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University and completed her psychiatry residency at the University of Toronto. Her clinical interests are in the fields of medical psychiatry. Her research, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and University of Toronto, focuses on quality of health care for individuals with co-occurring physical and mental illnesses.

Dr. Aleksandra Pikula (she/her) is an Associate Professor of Medicine (Neurology) at the University of Toronto, a Clinician-Investigator at Krembil Brain Institute, Director of Stroke Neurology Research at UHN and Co-Director of Women's Neurology Fellowship at U of T. She is a founder and director of the largest multidisciplinary Stroke in Young Adults (SiYA) Program in Canada that entails three clinics - Combined CNS Vasculitis, Stroke in Young and Stroke in Women. Dr. Pikula completed her clinical training in Internal Medicine at NYU (MSH), Neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, and a three-year combined clinical and research Vascular Neurology fellowship at the Boston University School of Medicine (BMC), at the Harvard School of Medicine (MGH) and at the Framingham Heart Study where she worked for 5yrs prior to joining UHN.

Dr. Pikula’ s overarching clinical and research interests are focused on clinical and subclinical cerebrovascular disease in young population, with special interest in sex-disparities and women’s health. Over the past decade, a major focus of her research had been in identifying the biological/molecular pathways and imaging markers for overt/covert vascular brain disease in middle-aged population (Framingham). At UHN/KBI, Dr. Pikula’ s clinical research is focused on sex-disparities in stroke outcomes by utilizing PROMS and studying the effect of various factors (psychological, social, lifestyle) on HRQOL, stroke outcomes and post-stroke needs in young stroke survivors. This led to an emerging interest in developing innovative clinical strategies for primary/secondary stroke prevention in young – The EMBRACE Lifestyle Program.

Dr. Pikula’ s work had been published in high impact journals and recognized by, amongst others, the NIH/NINDS & ANA as a recipient of the Investigator Development Award and the AHA/ASA as a recipient of National Clinical Research Awards, which allowed her to study serum levels and genetic variation of various novel biomarkers in stroke and subclinical vascular brain injury. Since arrival to UHN, she maintains collaborations with Framingham Study and holds research support from the UofT, HSFC, CSC and CIHR for several active studies.

Registration for this event: Ask the Experts: Mental health and Stroke Tickets, Wed, 30 Nov 2022 at 12:00 PM | Eventbrite

About the organizers:

This web event is hosted by the RBC Patient and Family Learning Space at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. 

The RBC Patient and Family Learning Space (PFLS) is an interactive hub for patients, families and the community to access reliable information about mental health, substance use and recovery. We offer our services in-person and virtually, and our resources are available in print, web and app format. Through the PFLS you can attend interactive workshops and webinars, and discover a variety of community-based services that might help you in your recovery.

Sign up for the monthly newsletter at: CPD (list-manage.com)

Read October's edition: October's Patient and Family Learning Space Newsletter (mailchi.mp)

Learn more at: The RBC Patient and Family Learning Space | CAMH