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A team photo of ARMS featuring (left to right) Diana Singh, Marisa Young, David Vaz, Loa Gordon, Jessica Monaghan, Kaitlyn Mah

Who We Are

Head Shot of Marisa Young, Director
Marisa Young
Director, ARMS

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

I am delighted that our team has launched ‘ARMS,’ the Centre for Advanced Research on Mental Health and Society at McMaster University. The goal at ARMS is to provide a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration amongst academics, students, and community members. We are dedicated to bringing together some of the brightest minds to advance our understanding of individual and societal mental health and well-being. 

I would like to thank those who have helped contribute to the launching of ARMS, as well as those across the community and academe for all you do in support of mental health advocacy, awareness, and research. 

Who We Are

ARMS officially launched as a formal research centre at McMaster University in January 2023. 

ARMS is the first interdisciplinary centre of its kind at McMaster and is housed in the Faculty of Social Sciences. The centre focuses on making contributions to our understanding of the social, structural, and institutional influences on mental health. ARMS takes the approach that mental health cannot be understood using one perspective alone. It is through dialectic engagement of multiple frameworks that real significant change can be gained.  

There are three overarching themes that guide the research activities at ARMS including a focus on past and future research on mental health, current events and social issues related to mental health and interdisciplinary collaborations within and across institutions.  

ARMS brings together the expertise of researchers in the social sciences, health sciences, and the community to advance mental health research in five priority areas: 

  1. Mental health and life transitions 
  2. Student mental health  
  3. Social inequality and mental health 
  4. Work and well-being  
  5. Healthy and sustainable communities 
McMaster in the summer

Our Vision

ARMS aims to lead the way for mental health research in the social sciences for a safer and healthier tomorrow. Our innovative approach to mental health focuses on the structural and societal contributors.

Our goal is to underscore that a social determinants of mental health perspective should be prioritized in the effort to address the burden of mental health problems.

Campus shot with students

Our Mission

The mission for ARMS is to provide a space—both physical and social—where academics, students, and community members can gather to advance the understanding of individual and societal mental health and well-being.

Our Annual Report

The second ARMS annual report outlines our 2024-2025 events, activities, achievements, and outlooks for the future.

Our Annual Report: Download Here