Shalini Lal, Ph.D.

Education

• B.Sc. Occupational Therapy, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University (1996)
• M.Sc. Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University (2002)
• Ph.D. Rehabilitation Sciences,Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia (2012)
• Postdoctoral Studies in Youth Mental Health and Clinical Health Informatics, Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Health Informatics Group, McGill University; Douglas Mental Health University Institute (2014)

Current research projects

• Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Pathway for Rapid, Internet-Based Self-Referral to Mental Health Services for Youth: PRISM-ACCESS Open Minds (role: Principal investigator; funded by: IRSC, 2016-2020)
• Internet-delivered Psychosocial Therapy for Maintaining the Treatment Effects of Specialized Early Intervention for Young Adults with Psychotic Disorders: A Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial of Horyzons-Canada – PHASE 1 and 2 – Adaptation and Pilot Testing (role: Principal Investigator; funded by: NARSAD Brain and Behaviour Research Foundation, FRQS – Researcher Establishment Grant & Canada Research Chairs Program, 2015-2020)
• Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Model for Youth Mental Health Service Transformation: ACCESS*- Canada (role: Principal Investigator; funded by: CIHR, 2016-2020)
• Enhancing Youth Mental Health: A Program of Research into Mental Health Care Needs, Pathways, Outcomes and Services (role: co-Principal Investigator; funded by: CIHR, 2015-2022)
• Feasiblity, usability, and acceptability of implementing telepsychiatry services using REACTS: Pilot study with clinicians and youth with first episode psychosis, including those experiencing homelessness (role: Principal Investigator; funded by: FRQS – Researcher Establishment Grant & Canada Research Chairs Program, 2015-2020)

Selected publications

• Lal, S. (2019). E-mental health: Promising advancements in policy, research, and practice. Health Care Management Forum, 32(2), 56-62. doi:10.1177/0840470418818583
• Iyer, S. N., Shah, J., Boksa, P., Lal, S., Joober, R., Andersson, N., . . . Malla, A. K. (2019). A minimum evaluation protocol and stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial of ACCESS Open Minds, a large Canadian youth mental health services transformation project. BMC Psychiatry, 19(1), 273. doi:10.1186/s12888-019-2232-2
• Lal, S., Gleeson, J., Malla, A., Rivard, L., Joober, R., Chandrasena, R., & Jimenez, M.-A. (2018). Cultural and contextual adaptation of an eHealth intervention for youth receiving services for First-Episode Psychosis: Adaptation framework and protocol for Horyzons-Canada Phase 1. JMIR Research Protocols, 7(4), e100. doi:10.2196/resprot.8810
• Malla, A., Shah, J., & Lal, S. (2017). Advances and challenges in early intervention in psychosis. World psychiatry, 16(3), 274-275. doi:10.1002/wps.20453
• Lal, S., Daniel, W., & Rivard, L. (2017). Perspectives of family members on using technology in youth mental health care: A qualitative study. JMIR Mental Health, 4(2):e21. doi:10.2196/mental.7296
• Lal, S., Nguyen, V., & Theriault, J. (2018). Seeking mental health information and support online: experiences and perspectives of young people receiving treatment for first‐episode psychosis. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 12(3), 324-330. doi:10.1111/eip.12317.
• Lal, S., Dell’Elce, J., Tucci, N., Fuhrer, R., Tamblyn, R., & Malla, A. (2015). Preferences of young adults with first-episode psychosis for receiving specialized mental health services using technology: A survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) – Mental Health. 2(2), e18. doi:10.2196/mental.4400.
• Lal, S., Donnelly, C., & Shin, J. (2015). Digital storytelling: an innovative tool for practice, education, and research. Occup Ther Health Care, 29(1), 54-62. doi:10.3109/07380577.2014.958888
• Lal, S., Ungar, M., Leggo, C., Malla, A.K., Frankish, J., & Suto, M. J. (2013). Well-being and engagement in valued activities: Experiences of youth with psychosis. OTJR: Occupation, Participation, and Health, 33(4), 190-197. doi: 10.3928/15394492-20130912-02.
• Lal, S., Jarus, T., & Suto, M. J. (2012). A scoping review of the Photovoice method: Implications for occupational therapy research. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 79(3), 181-190. doi:10.2182/cjot.2012.79.3.8.

Research interests

• Improving access and quality of youth mental health services
  • Development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative health services to increase youth and family access to, and engagement with mental health services
  • Examining the use of information and communication technologies to improve the delivery of mental health information, services, and supports for youth and their families
  • Understanding relapse, recovery, and well-being from the perspectives of youth and their families
  • Knowledge translation (science and practice)
  • Service evaluation; stakeholder engagement; participatory, qualitative and mixed methods research