On March 20, 2026, the Douglas Research Centre hosted the D3SM Day, a full-day hybrid event dedicated to celebrating the achievements of the Douglas Data and Digital Science for Mental Health (D3SM) initiative.
Under the theme “Digital Mental Health: Innovate Today, Transform Care Tomorrow,” the event highlighted the evolution of the initiative from its inception to its upcoming transition into D3SM 2.0.
The event highlighted to the power of interdisciplinarity, bringing together researchers, clinicians, developers, and partners to reflect on five years of transformation in mental health research through digital innovation.
Event Highlights & Key Takeaways
The program was structured to showcase the breadth of D3SM’s impact, from clinical tools to back-end data infrastructure.
Celebrating the Journey: Co-Directors Dr. Martin Lepage and Dr. Mallar Chakravarty opened the day by revisiting key milestones and the collaborative spirit that defined D3SM’s mission to transform care.
Dr. Sakiko Yamaguchi discussed how implementation principles support digital health projects and showcased a freely accessible toolkit designed to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice.
Digital Mental Health Innovations: A series of short presentations showcased tangible tools and platforms for digital mental health care supported by the D3SM initiative:
- HoryzonsCA: A digital platform supporting recovery and preventing relapse in psychotic disorders.
- Remote RC2S: Utilizing digital avatars to support social cognitive impairments.
- iCogCA & the E-Cog platform: A cross-Canadian online effectiveness-implementation trial and a learning platform to support cognitive health in psychosis.
- VR-CBT: Culturally sensitive Virtual Reality therapy developed with Inuit communities in Quebec.
- SPARX: Evidence-based serious games designed to improve youth mental health.
Data Science & Informatics: The afternoon focused on the technical backbone of the initiative, featuring the OpenDataCapture platform, DataBank for secure data sharing, and Neurobagel for federated health data discovery.
Dr. Yassine Benhajali discussed the secondary use of clinico-administrative data through Perfocentre , while Bhavya Patwa presented AI-driven models used to predict hospital readmissions and length of stay.
Looking Ahead: D3SM 2.0
As the initiative concludes its current phase, the event marked the official transition to D3SM 2.0. This new era, formed in partnership with CIUSSS/DPSMD, will focus on:
- Expanding Virtual Reality (VR) development through the VR Suite.
- Advancing the secondary use of clinic-administrative data to inform research and care.
- Sustaining core pillars in Open Science and neuroinformatics support.
Digital Mental Health The day concluded with a message of gratitude to the partners—including Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL), the Alliance, the DPSMD and CIUSSS-ODIM—whose support has been crucial in shaping D3SM’s legacy and its continued impact on the mental health community.
Event Resources
🎥 Presentation Recordings: YouTube Playlist
For more information on the initiative and future updates, visit D3SM.ca.
