Janis Rotman Distinguished Lecture Series on Mental Wellness (In Person)

The Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work is delighted to be hosting the 2025 Janis Rotman Distinguished Lecture Series on Mental Wellness. This listing is for the in-person portion of the event only. If you would like to attend online please reserve your ticket

This annual keynote address by a leading researcher, practitioner, or educator will provide insight into topics such as innovations in culturally attuned mental health services, social work’s role in addressing widening mental health disparities, the impact of community-based care and other contemporary concerns at the intersection of social work and mental health.

This year the keynote speaker is Ramona Alaggia, Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and Cross-appointed to the Women and Gender Studies Institute.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Ramona Alaggia is a Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and holds the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Chair in Child and Family. Her work centers on trauma and resilience across the life course, with a focus on gender-based violence, child sexual abuse and its mental health impacts, intimate partner violence, and the structural barriers that impede recovery. She is particularly committed to identifying and promoting resilience processes among children, youth, and adults exposed to violence.

Dr. Alaggia is the Director of the ThRIve research Incubation Laboratory for Child and Youth Trauma, at the University of Toronto, a collaborative hub where researchers, practitioners, students, and community partners come together to inform policy and establish best practices in trauma-informed care.

Locally, she leads research projects aimed at improving the well-being of children, youth, and their families by supporting prevention and intervention initiatives and developing innovative service models to enhance mental health outcomes. Internationally, she has delivered training in Scotland, Ireland, and Germany on trauma and resilience-informed approaches to enhance mental health. A recent study published in the journal Research on Social Work practice identified Dr. Alaggia as one of the 100 most impactful global contributors to social work scholarship.

About the Talk:

Trauma in various forms shapes the lives of children and their families, with disruptions evident across all domains—home, school, and community. The rise of novel social and environmental challenges, such as online harms, presents new and urgent challenges. This lecture will explore the far-reaching effects of these shifts, including their impact on health and mental health, and identify important resilience-building strategies that promote recovery and strengthen well-being at the individual, familial, and community levels.

Host or Publisher U of T's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work