TEAM Scholarship Day 2025 - Call for Presentations

Instructions for applicants

TEAM Scholarship Day (Toward Equity and Advocacy in Mental Health) was created to highlight impactful work in EDIIA (equity, diversity, inclusion, indigeneity, and accessibility), social justice, and community engagement in the Department of Psychiatry and beyond. It is a free event, funded by the Department of Psychiatry.

We welcome presentations of creative professional activities (CPA), research, education, and other scholarly and academic projects related to EDIIA.

Submissions are now being accepted for presentations.

Please submit your proposed presentation in the form of a CPA abstract. We have provided guiding topics and questions below for submissions. We welcome presentations on works in progress. The planning committee will review all proposals and successful applicants will be invited for either an oral or poster presentation. Oral presentations will be 12 minutes with 8 minutes for discussion with the audience (Q&A).

For more information about Creative Professional Activities (CPA), please read the CPA checklist for committee members & candidates.

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

Example abstract

Below is an example of an abstract, but please do not feel constrained by this example.

Title: Mind Waves: A Podcast for Youth Mental Health Storytelling and Education

Keywords: Creative Knowledge Translation, Mental Health Storytelling, Lived Experience Engagement

Abstract:
Note: This abstract presents a constructed case example for illustrative purposes only and is not based on a real project.

1) Description of Project:
Mind Waves is a 10-episode mental health podcast created by and for youth to make mental health education more accessible, relatable, and empowering. The project was developed in response to a growing need for trustworthy, youth-friendly content—especially as teens increasingly turn to podcasts, YouTube, and TikTok for answers about mental health. Topics include managing anxiety and panic, understanding depression and low motivation, navigating the school system while struggling with mental illness, demystifying psychosis, and what it’s actually like to go to the hospital or talk to a psychiatrist. Each episode blends expert insights with youth voices, personal stories, and original sound design to keep things engaging and emotionally real.

2) Role of Presenter & Mentor(s) in the Project:
As the lead producer and host, I worked directly with youth collaborators to co-develop episode themes, guide interviews, and shape the tone of the series. I was mentored by a psychiatrist experienced in working with teens and a digital media journalist who offered guidance on how to craft stories that connect with young audiences and make complex topics easy to understand.

3) Values, Framework, & Theory:
The project was rooted in youth empowerment, trauma-informed care, and the belief that lived experience should be centered in all conversations about mental health. We also drew on health communication theory to ensure our messaging was clear and respectful, and on critical media literacy to challenge the narrow, often negative ways youth mental health is portrayed in mainstream media.

4) Role of Partnerships/Community/People with Lived Experience:
Youth aged 14–21 were invited to participate through community partnerships with high schools, youth mental health groups, and online platforms. We hosted virtual co-creation workshops where participants shaped the content by choosing topics, giving feedback on scripts, and even voicing parts of the episodes. Several episodes include first-person audio diaries, poetry, and reflections from youth with lived experience of anxiety, hospitalization, or identity struggles.

5) Evaluation:
We evaluated the project using feedback from listeners on social media, listener-submitted artwork and comments, and analytics like downloads and episode completion rates. The creative team also kept a reflective journal to track how our thinking and goals evolved throughout the process.

6) Impact & Significance (Dissemination/Knowledge Translation):
Since launch, Mind Waves has reached over 25,000 listeners in 15 countries and has been shared widely through schools, youth organizations, and mental health campaigns. It’s now used in some high school wellness curricula and was featured by youth advocacy networks during Mental Health Week 2024. This project shows that youth-led, story-based media can transform how teens learn about mental health—making it more honest, hopeful, and connected.