Mark Ferro

Dr. Ferro recieved his doctorate in epidemiology and biostatistics from Western University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in child psychiatry at McMaster University. He held a joint appointment in the Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at McMaster Univeristy prior to being appointed the Canada Research Chair in Youth Mental Health in the School of Public Health Sciences at the Univeristy of Waterloo. Dr. Ferro’s research focuses on understanding child multimorbidity – the co-occurrence of physical and mental illness in children, youth, and young adults. Using both clinical and epidemiological studies, his work takes a developmental approach to estimating the burden of child multimorbidity; expounding the multilevel determinants of child multimorbidity; modelling biological and psychosocial mechanisms leading to the onset of child multimorbidity; and, through data linkage activities, how children with multimorbidity interface with the mental health care system. Methodologically, he is interested in the measurement of mental health and quality of life in children. Dr. Ferro’s goal is to prevent child multimorbidity, improve child health, help families, enhance care, and reduce health system costs.