Title of keynote talk
Circumpolar Approaches to Suicide Prevention
Short biography
Allison Crawford is a psychiatrist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, where she is the Director of the Northern Psychiatric Outreach Program and Telepsychiatry at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. She is also co-Chair of ECHO Ontario; and co-Chair of ECHO Ontario Mental Health. Through these roles Allison advances health systems and the integration of technology into the provision of remote healthcare.
Allison has worked as a psychiatrist in Nunavut for over 10 years, and coordinates psychiatric services for the Government of Nunavut. She has consulted to Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, with the Mental Health Commission of Canada, on a National Inuit Suicide Prevention Strategy; and with the Inuit Circumpolar Council and the Arctic Council on circumpolar wellness and suicide prevention initiatives.
Her clinical expertise is in psychological trauma, including trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy and narrative exposure therapy. Allison has a PhD in English literature, and brings arts-informed approaches to community engagement, clinical work and education.