Arthur Sommer Rotenberg Chair in Suicide Studies and Suicide Studies Unit
 
Introduction

The Arthur Sommer Rotenberg Chair in Suicide Studies, the only endowed chair in suicide studies in North America, was established in 1997 under the initiative of Mrs. Doris Sommer Rotenberg. Her son, Dr. Arthur Sommer Rotenberg, was a caring and committed family physician in the Toronto area who died from suicide.

This Chair is an academic program affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. It is based at St. Michael's Hospital, an urban health care facility located in inner-city Toronto.

Its mission is to conduct research leading to a greater understanding of the various biological, psychological and sociological determinants of suicidal behaviour, and implementing societal and clinical healthcare advances to reduce the losses and suffering resulting from suicide and suicidal behaviour.

The multi-professional team is headed by Dr. Paul S. Links, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. Other members include research and clinical professionals in Epidemiology, Psychiatry, Psychology, Social Work, and Sociology.

For any inquiries please call 416-864-6099.

Downloadable documents (click on links below):
Chair in Suicide Studies, Annual Report 2003-2004
Chair in Suicide Studies, Annual Report 2004-2005
Chair in Suicide Studies, Annual Report 2005-2006

Suicide Study Rounds:
The Systematic Assessment of Self-directed and Other-directed Violence, (Jan. 17, 2005)
Improving Pathways to Care for Suicidal and Substance Using Men, (Dec. 12, 2005)
Caring for Suicidal Patients: What do we know about best practices? (Jan. 9, 2006)
Male Rape Victimization and Suicide, (Feb. 27, 2006)
Sick and Tired of Life: The Role of Medical Illness in Late-Life Suicide, (Mar. 13, 2006)
Risk and Resilience Among Homeless Youth, (Apr. 10, 2006)
Borderline Personality Disorder and Suicidality, (May 25, 2006)
Mood and Suicide in MS patients, (June 28, 2006)
A natural history of attempted suicide in Toronto neighbourhoods: an example from police service data, (Sept. 11, 2006)
CASP Conference 2006: Complexity of Suicide: Prevention, Intervention and Aftermath, (Oct. 25-27, 2006) *Deadline for Abstract submission has been extended to May 31st, 2006
Predicting suicidal thoughts among vulnerable youth, (Nov. 13, 2006)
Recovery Through the Reduction of Deliberate Self-Harm Behaviour in a Group Intervention: A Critical Social Work Approach, (Dec. 11, 2006)
The Assessment of Intentions in Self-Harm and Suicidal Behavior: Linking Theory and Research with Clinical Practice, (Jan. 8, 2007)
Ethnic and geographic differences in suicidality among Canadian adults: A population-based study, (Feb. 12, 2007)
Adapting Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) for Older Adults at Risk for Suicide, (Mar. 12, 2007)
Workplace Trauma: Effects and Effective Strategies for Management, (Apr. 9, 2007)
The SSRI-Suicide Connection, (May 14, 2007)
The STEPPS* Treatment Model for Borderline Personality Disorder (*Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving), (June 11, 2007)
Initial Findings from the Canadian Randomized Controlled Trial of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder, (Sept. 10, 2007)
Venturing to Understand China and Its Problems with Suicide, (Nov. 9, 2007)
Adversity and Life Trajectories among Suicide Cases, (Dec. 10, 2007)
An Analysis of a Large Sample of North American Suicide by Cop Cases, (Jan. 14, 2008)
Bipolar disorder in suicide, research synthesis and clinical translation, (Mar. 10, 2008)
Preventing suicides in the Toronto subway system: A program evaluation, (Apr. 14, 2008)
The Mental Health Commission of Canada, (June 9, 2008)
Suicide Postvention: What Survivors Have Taught Us, (Sept. 8, 2008)
Suicide in South Asian Diaspora - changing patterns in the UK, (Oct. 6, 2008)
Drawing from Life - A documentary of The Psychosocial/Psychoeducational Group Intervention for People with Recurrent Suicide Attempts, (Nov. 10, 2008)
Taking It To The Streets-Homelessness, Suicide Risk and Mental Health Service Modalities, (Dec. 8, 2008)
Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Self Inflicted Injuries in Toronto, (Jan. 12, 2009)
Efficacy of a Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills Group for the Treatment of Suicidal/Self-Injurious Behaviour and Eating Disorder Symptoms in Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder, (Feb. 9, 2009)
Evaluation of Choose Life, Scotland’s suicide prevention strategy and action plan, (Mar. 9, 2009)
A Web-based Narrative Study of Factors Important in Recovery Following a Suicide Attempt: The Reasons to go on Living Project, (Apr. 13, 2009)

CASP (Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention) International Conference:
Slide presentations, (Oct. 26, 2006)