A new Anxiety Canada Speaker series will launch at the University of Windsor on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.
By Lindsay Charlton
Studies suggest nearly one in three people will experience an anxiety disorder in their lifetime, sometimes beginning early in life and affecting quality of life for years.
A new speaker series at the University of Windsor aims to bring more attention to the research, clinical work and real-world effects of anxiety and related mental health issues, supported by a $30,000 endowment from Anxiety Canada.
“Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent category of psychiatric or psychological conditions,” says psychology professor Dr. Lance Rappaport, who launched the initiative.
“There are so many people affected, and it can affect someone for a very significant amount of time. While it doesn’t necessarily impact mortality in the way that some other conditions do, it can profoundly impact quality of life because of how early it can start, how long it can last and the kind of impairment it can create over that time.”
The initiative, which will host its first event on campus Sept. 24 and 25, will bring leading experts from across the country to Windsor, helping to connect the community with national research and clinical work.
The inaugural speaker will be Dr. Sherry Stewart, a professor at Dalhousie University and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Psychological Association.
Her research focuses on the connections between mental health, substance use and addictive behaviours, including the relationship between anxiety and addiction.
“Part of the reason anxiety disorders are so prevalent is that they often co-occur in the context of other things, such as addictions, an eating disorder or depressive disorder. They complicate how you treat or how you intervene to help someone with these other problems,” Rappaport says.
“Because of that, I wanted to invite someone who is really at the forefront of how this might intersect with the work of a lot of different people.”
The two-day event is open to the public, and Rappaport encourages those interested in meeting with Stewart following her talk to reach out.
“The goal is to really build a two-day event out of this, and I’m now in the process of building that schedule and encourage people to reach out so we can incorporate perhaps speaking at a school or community agency,” he says.
Through the endowment, the series will bring one visiting speaker to campus each year to explore a different topic related to mental health.
Established in 1999, Anxiety Canada was a registered charity created to raise awareness about anxiety disorders and provide evidence-based self-help resources.
One such resource was the MindShift CBT App, a free app developed by the organization that uses cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help users manage symptoms of anxiety.
When the organization ceased operations in April 2026, with some funding remaining, Anxiety Canada issued a call for grant applications, leading to the creation of the speaker series.
“We wanted to continue this legacy of providing free resources about anxiety disorders and related mental health conditions,” Rappaport says of the initiative. “Making that evidence-based information available to the public — community groups, people affected by these conditions and clinicians — both those who are affected and those who work to address these conditions.”
The goal, he says, is to establish the University of Windsor as a touchpoint each year for more discussion on these important topics.
“Year over year, people will learn about different parts of cutting-edge research and clinical work to address the profound impact, both the personal and societal impact, of anxiety and related mental health problems,” he says.
The Anxiety Canada Speaker Series will launch at the University of Windsor on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 4 p.m. with a talk from Dr. Sherry Stewart.
Those interested in further discussion or involvement can reach out to Dr. Lance Rappaport at lance.rappaport@uwindsor.ca.