Sarah McIlwaine

Research and Innovation Specialist

Sarah McIlwaine's Area of expertise

  • Mental Health
  • Workplace
  • Youth

About Sarah

Sarah is passionate about improving access to mental health services for youth and helping communities better understand the factors that shape young people’s mental health. 


She holds a Master of Science in Psychiatry and is pursuing a PhD in Epidemiology at McGill University, focusing on youth mental health, early psychosis, help-seeking and access to services. 


Sarah has worked at the Douglas Mental Health Institute and with the Cawley-Mughal group, supporting mental health policy in schools and student-focused non-profits. Since joining CCSA in July 2024, she has brought her quantitative and qualitative research skills to the forefront — developing knowledge tools and resources that are both evidence-based and grounded in the needs of communities.


When she’s not working, Sarah is usually curled up with her two cats and husband, playing video games or watching reality TV.
 

Browse the CCSA Network of Websites

CCSA's Issues of Substance Conference

This biannual, national conference brings together people from across the country, including addiction workers, healthcare professionals, researchers, policy makers, and people with lived and living experience
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Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms

This project provides comparable and up-to-date data on the costs and harms of substance use in Canada and allows people to explore and analyze the data through its data visualization tool.
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Workforce Competencies

CCSA developed measurable technical and behaviour competencies in knowledge, skills and values for the substance use workforce, providing consistent care across the wide range of settings.
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Drink Less Live More

Canada has new guidance on alcohol and your health. CCSA wants you to be able to make the most informed decisions you can about drinking alcohol.
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Lower Risk Gambling Guidelines

Learn about the world’s first Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines to help people in Canada make informed decisions about their gambling and lessen their risk of gambling-related harms. Use the Interactive Risk Assessment Tool to assess your personal gambling choices.
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The Highway Home

This interactive website takes an experiential approach to increasing youth’s and young drivers’ awareness of the risks and harms of drug-impaired driving, using real-life scenarios involving cannabis use and driving.
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