Suneeta Monga

Dr. Monga is a child & adolescent psychiatrist with a program of clinical research studying pediatric anxiety disorders and depression. She has been instrumental in establishing an evidence-base for the treatment of preschool anxiety disorders through the creation and evaluation of the Taming Sneaky Fears Program, an innovative manualized cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) program developed specifically for 4- to 7-year-old children with various anxiety disorders including selective mutism, and their parents.

Currently, with the goal of outcome harmonization across pediatric mental health clinical trials in mind, she is the Principal Investigator of the IN-ROADS (International Network for Research Outcomes in Adolescent Depression Studies) Initiative. This project through active stakeholder (inclusive of patients and caregivers) input and engagement, aims to develop a core set of outcomes and associated valid, reliable, feasible and acceptable outcome measurement instruments for use in adolescent depression trials going forward.

Dr. Monga also currently co-leads the Transform Mental Health Care Delivery Implementation Team of the SickKids Mental Health Strategy where she is a strong proponent for the need for integrated psychiatric and physical healthcare for all children and youth. 

Dr. Monga completed her psychiatry residency at the University of Alberta, and her child & adolescent psychiatry fellowship at the University of Pittsburg Medical School (UPMC) after being awarded the R. Samuel McLaughlin Fellowship for further training. 

Dr. Monga has presented at numerous academic conferences locally, nationally and internationally and she has been recognized at both the University and national level as being a strong, effective educator. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals on pediatric anxiety disorders, mental health outcomes and outcome measurement instruments as well as written several books and book chapters on pediatric anxiety disorders.

Research

Dr. Monga began her research career in the area of preschool anxiety disorders and was the Principal Investigator on two grants funded by the Ontario Mental Health Foundation that has established a strong evidence-based for the assessment and treatment for preschool anxiety disorders. Her work has resulted in a book for clinicians and researchers, Assessing and Treating Anxiety Disorders in Young Children: The Taming Sneaky Fears Program, which was published by Springer.

During her fellowship, Dr. Monga was instrumental in the development and validation of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED), a child and parent-report for anxiety symptoms, and she has now focused her energies on the development of valid and reliable, as well as acceptable, outcome measurement instruments for use in the evaluation of preschool anxiety disorders. Additionally, with this knowledge she is also focused on establishing harmonization of outcomes and outcome measurement instruments in various mental health disorders through the development and implementation of a Core Outcome Set or COS. A COS is an agreed, standardized minimum set of outcomes that should be measured and reported in all clinical trials in specific areas of health. In other areas of healthcare, the development of a COS has led to improved standardization of outcome selection and measurement across research studies, resulting in enhanced understanding of what treatments are best for which patients. With this in mind, Dr. Monga is the Principal Investigator of the IN-ROADS (International Network for Research Outcomes in Adolescent Depression Studies) Initiative with a goal to develop and implement a COS for future adolescent depression research studies with a specific aim of having strong patient and caregiver engagement and input in defining what outcomes are important to measure in future research studies in adolescent depression.

Education and experience

• 2019: Associate Psychiatrist-in-Chief, SickKids
• 2014: Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto
• 2014: Medical Director, Psychiatry Ambulatory Program, SickKids, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 2013: Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Royal College Sub-specialization
• 2011–2016: Divisional Director, Undergraduate Education Program for Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 1999: Staff Psychiatrist, SickKids and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto
• 1995–1999: Staff Psychiatrist, Royal Alexandra Hospital & Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
• 1995: Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Clinical & Research Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
• 1994: American Board Certified in Psychiatry & Neurology
• 1994: FRCPC Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

Achievements

Awards

• 2019: Dalhousie Award for the Best Oral Presentation, Canadian Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (CACAP)
• 2015: Dalhousie Award for the Best Oral Presentation, Canadian Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (CACAP)
• 2014: Best Poster, Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CACAP)
• 2007: Abe Miller Award for Undergraduate Education, University of Toronto, Department of Psychiatry, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Nominations

• 2018: Nominated for the Dr. Paul Steinhauer Award for Excellence in Child Psychiatry Postgraduate Teaching, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 2015: Nominated for the Dr. Paul Steinhauer Award for Excellence in Child Psychiatry Postgraduate Teaching, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.

1. Monga S, Monsour A, Stallwood E, Desai R, Cleverley K, Courtney D, Henderson J, Korczak DJ, Krause K, Smith, M, Szatmari P, Offringa M, Butcher NJ (2020). Core Outcome Set Development for Adolescent Major Depressive Disorder Clinical Trials: A Registered Report. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 59(11): 1297-1298. 
2. Kamani Z, Monga S (2020). Understanding the Outcome of Children Who Selectively Do Not Speak: A Retrospective Approach. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 29(2): 58-65.  
3. Monga S, Offringa M, Butcher N, Szatmari P (2020). From Research to Practice: The Importance of Appropriate Outcome Selection, Measurement, and Reporting in Pediatric Mental Health Research. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 59(4): 497-500. 
4. Monga S, Benoit D (2018). Assessing and Treating Anxiety Disorders in Young Children: The Taming Sneaky Fears Program (book for professionals). New York, N.Y., USA, Springer.  
5. Benoit D, Monga S (2018).  Taming Sneaky Fears - Leo's Story of Bravery & Inside Leo's Den: The Workbook (children's book and accompanying children's workbook). Victoria, B.C., Canada, FriesenPress. (Co-Principal Author) 

Current funding

2020 April – 2021 March: Co-Principal Investigator: Mental Health Support for SickKids Children and Families During COVID-19 Using Established eHealth Interventions. Centre for Brain & Mental Health (C-BMH) and the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children – Kimel Family COVID-19 Catalyst Grant Award. Principal Investigators: Monga S & Williams T. Co-Investigators: Romanchych E.
$75,000 CAD. 

2020 March – 2022 Feb: Principal Investigator:  Develop and Implement a Core Outcome Set for Adolescent Depression. Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Principal Investigator: Monga S. Co-Investigators: Butcher NJ, Cleverley K, Courtney D, Henderson J, Korczak DJ, Offringa M & Szatmari P.
$175,091 CAD.