Youth Mental Health Town Hall

Host and Moderator: Anthony Farnell, Chief Meteorologist, Global News
Growing up on the West Island of Montreal, Anthony Farnell developed a love for weather early on. At elementary school he remembers spending most of his time looking out the window at developing cumulus clouds. In 1998, his love for weather grew further as he lived through the “Ice Storm of the Century” in Montreal. Anthony brings his weather knowledge and experience to Global News where he recently celebrated his 10th year.

In 2005, Farnell joined Global Montreal’s evening newscast but quickly moved to Global Toronto to become their Chief Meteorologist in 2006. Since then, Farnell has expanded his reach and now brings his weather forecasting skills and personality to all four Global News markets in Eastern Canada, from Halifax to the GTA. He can also be heard giving his seasonal forecasts across the Corus Radio Network.

Panel: Dr. Anthony J. Levitt, MD, FRCP(C), Medical Director, Family Navigation Project and Chief of the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook
Dr. Levitt graduated from Medical School in Western Australia and came to Canada to train in Psychiatry in 1985. He completed his research training as a Fellow with Dr. Russell Joffe in 1990 and since that time held the positions of Director of Mood Disorders Programs at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and then Director of Mood Disorders at McMaster University, until moving to Sunnybrook and Women’s Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, where he served as Psychiatrist-in-chief at Women’s College Hospital from 2002 to 2011 and Psychiatrist-in-chief at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre from 2002 to 2012. He is presently the Chief of the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Centre and the Medical Director of the Family Navigation Project.

His area of research and clinical interest is in the area of mood disorders and navigation of the mental health and addiction system. He has published scientific articles in the area of treatment resistant depression and bipolar disorder, the treatment of adolescent depression, the treatment of seasonal depression and in the definition and value of navigation for families with a youth with mental illness and/or addictions More recently he has explored new and novel direct brain treatments for depression. Beyond these academic pursuits he has a firm commitment to public and medical education, to improving recognition of mood disorders by health care professionals and to expanding access to care for people with mental illness in the community.

Panel: Troy Maxwell, Chief Operating Officer, RBC Capital Markets
Troy Maxwell is Chief Operating Officer of RBC Capital Markets with global responsibility for all operational and administrative matters of the firm, including optimizing cost base management and financial resources, and leading the response to regulatory change.

Troy is a champion for diversity-related initiatives at RBC and an active member of the community. Since 2009, he has served as the executive sponsor of RBC’s Advancement of Women in Leadership committee, a global leadership forum responsible for driving actions to improve representation of senior women at the bank. Additionally, Troy is a senior advisor for RWomen, RBC Capital Markets’ internal forum dedicated to fostering the development and career aspirations of women. Troy has played a key role in RBC’s annual United Way campaign for several years acting as Co-Chair of RBC’s national Major Individual Gifts Committee.

Panel: Jillian Thistel, Family Navigator, Sunnybrook’s Family Navigation Project
Jillian completed an Honours Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology through the University of Toronto and continued on to complete the Addictions and Mental Health graduate program at Durham College. Jillian has a wide range of clinical experience in the Addiction and Mental Health field, including work in residential treatment, outpatient, and healthcare settings. Most recently, Jillian worked at the Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres providing clinical case management and counseling to clients dealing with Concurrent Disorders, which included work with youth and families.

Panel: Dr. Monidipa Ravi, Child and Youth Psychiatrist and Consulting Psychiatrist with Sunnybrook’s Family Navigation Project