Our National Team

Srividya Iyer is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and an Associate Member in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She is a licensed psychologist and a Researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute. Her work focuses on youth mental health and early intervention, including for serious mental health problems such as psychosis. She seeks to ensure that more young people worldwide have timely access to appropriate, youth-friendly mental healthcare and enjoy well-being and social participation. Srividya partners closely with young people, families, and communities to influence real-world practice and policy in Canada and globally. She leads ACCESS Open Minds, a pan-Canadian network of 250+ diverse stakeholders that is transforming mental healthcare for urban, rural, Indigenous, post-secondary and homeless youths across Canada. She has been contributing to several other youth-focused services, research, and capacity-building efforts, including in India, where she was born. Srividya has received numerous awards and was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists in 2017 and named on the inaugural list of Canadian Women leaders in Global Health. In 2021, she was elected Vice President of the International Association for Youth Mental Health.

Marilena Liguori has a multidisciplinary academic background in the social sciences and extensive experience in qualitative research. She has worked on research projects carried out in diverse settings and on a wide range of topics, including the experiences of immigrants and refugees, diversity and inclusion in organizations, urban issues, the coping strategies of caregivers and patients with chronic illnesses, as well as health services and information for culturally and linguistically diverse patients. She has developed expertise in the coordination and realization of projects bringing together various researchers and partners. Her role in these projects has included developing research proposals and grant applications, writing literature reviews, conducting semi-structured interviews and focus groups, data analysis, as well as dissemination of research findings

Kathleen completed her doctoral studies under the supervision of Dr. Srividya Iyer, examining help-seeking experiences and pathways to mental health services for youth in Canada.

After obtaining her Master’s degree in Brain Sciences from the University of Glasgow, Kathleen worked as a research assistant at the Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychosis (PEPP), in Montreal.

Kathleen joined ACCESS Open Minds because she is hopeful it can make a difference for youth. While growing up in a small rural community, she too often witnessed just how inaccessible our mental health services can be.

Kathleen loves road trips, which are often extended by her tendency to confuse left and right when giving directions.