Supporting the Whole Employee: Building a Connected Mental Health & Functional Support Ecosystem

Dr. Larivière is our owner/operator and holds a certificate of registration from the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario for a psychologist authorizing autonomous practice. He obtained his doctoral degree in psychology from Carleton University, then completed a 5-year postdoctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Ottawa. He worked for the federal government in Ottawa in research, policy analysis, and health services. His research in government included large-scale studies on offenders as well as correctional workers. These projects created large datasets where several issues such as attitudes of correctional workers toward offenders, high-risk health behaviours, prevalence of mental illness in prisons, and the wellbeing of women offenders in the federal correctional system were examined. Concurrent with his research, he has remained a member in good standing with the College of Psychologists of Ontario since 2001 (correctional-forensic, clinical and counseling). He is a full professor at Laurentian University (Faculty of Health) with cross appointments in psychology and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. His associates include psychologists, psychological associates, psychotherapists, psychometrists, counsellors, and graduate students. Dr. Larivière’s research has expanded to include studies on the mental health of workers in various occupations such as nurses, first responders, and those employed in the resource industry. He has received over $2 million in research funding since arriving at Laurentian University. His research team completed a 5-year study on the prevalence and determinants of the mental health of mining workers. The research helped identify factors that predict workplace absence and an employee’s return-to-work after suffering physical or mental illness. Administratively, Dr. Larivière has been the representative in health psychology for the International Union of Psychological Science for the National Research Council of Canada, the Vice-Dean of Professional Schools at Laurentian University, and the Associate Director for the Center for Research in Occupational Safety and Health at Laurentian University. He reviews research grants for Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Allied Health Professionals Fellowships committee and regularly reviews articles for various health-related academic journals. Dr. Larivière has created an assessment instrument, the Worker Wellbeing Assessment Guide (WWAG) that is designed to assist clinicians and disability managers with return to work prognostications, treatment planning, and decision making.

Dr. Ahmed El-Sohemy is a Professor and Associate Chair at the University of Toronto and held a Canada Research Chair in Nutrigenomics. He is also the Founder of Nutrigenomix Inc. and Chair’s the International Science Advisory Board. Dr. El-Sohemy obtained his PhD from the University of Toronto and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed publications and has given more than 400 invited talks around the world. The goal of his research program in nutrigenomics is to identify genetic markers that predict response to various dietary factors on a variety of health and performance outcomes. Dr. El-Sohemy has served on Health Canada’s Scientific Advisory Board and several international expert advisory panels. Dr. El-Sohemy is the recipient of several awards for research excellence by the Canadian Nutrition Society, the American College of Nutrition, and the American Nutrition Association.