The BESST Lab (Biosocial Evaluation of Stress and Social Transitions in Mental Health) is a research group based at the University of Ottawa, within the Faculty of Health Sciences. Our work focuses on understanding how stress and life transitions shape mental health across different stages of life.

 

We are especially interested in experiences that are often under-recognized or misunderstood, including perinatal mental health, perimenopausal mental health, and health literacy across diverse communities.

 

Mental health does not exist in isolation, it is shaped by biology, relationships, identity, environment, and social context.  Our research aims to reflect that complexity.

 

WHAT WE DO

 

In the BESST Lab, we:

• Conduct research on mental health across life transitions

• Explore how people understand, access, and experience mental health support

• Focus on knowledge translation, making research more accessible beyond academic spaces

• Work collaboratively with students who bring diverse perspectives and lived experiences

 

WHY THIS MATTERS

 

Mental Health research should not stay in journals alone.

 

We are committed to making research:

• Understandable

• Accessible

• And relevant to everyday life

This includes thinking carefully about how mental health is discussed, who is included in those conversations, and how knowledge can better reach communities.

 

STUDENTS AT THE CENTRE

 

Students play a key role in the BESST Lab.  The contribute to research, help shape knowledge translation activities, and bring creativity to how we communicate science.

 

Through their work, they help bridge the gap between research and real-world impact.

 

 

OUR APPROACH

 

We believe mental health is:

• Shaped by social context

• Experienced differently across individuals and communities

• Best understood through multiple perspectives

 

Our goal is to contribute to research that reflects that complexity while remaining clear, useful, and grounded in real-world relevance.

 

 

LOOKING AHEAD

 

This space will also share:

• Student perspectives

• Research updates

• Myth vs reality insights

• Knowledge translation projects

 

We hope to make this a place where research is not only shared but also made meaningful.