Dr. Leena Augimeri

Leena K. Augimeri, Ph.D., is the Co-Founder of SNAP and the Director of SNAP® Headquarters at the Child Development Institute in Toronto, Canada.  This dedicated unit is responsible for SNAP research, program development and implementation. It also includes a sub-unit called the Centre for Children Committing Offences. In addition, she is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto and assists with the supervision of graduate students.  For the past 36 years, this scientist-practitioner’s focus has been on the development of a comprehensive children’s mental health and crime prevention framework which is being adopted around the world for young children engaged in antisocial and disruptive behaviour.  A major focus of this framework is the evidence-based SNAP model (www.stopnowandplan.com).  It is noted in the scientific literature, as one of the most effective evidence-based intervention for aggressive children under 12 years of age with serious violent and chronic potential.  She is also the co-principal developer of the SNAP for Schools universal prevention model and the newest SNAP program -- SNAP Youth Justice.

This children’s mental health innovator and evidence-based program developer is also a noted author, researcher/evaluator, consultant, skilled group leader and implementation scientist.  She led the development of the first structured professional judgment (SPJ) guide for children at risk for future violence, the Early Assessment Risk List for Boys (EARL-20B) and Girls (EARL-21G) and more recently the EARL-V3.  These SPJ assessment guides have now been translated in various languages and used to assess risk for future antisocial behaviour and help guide the development of clinical risk management plans.  She is also known for chairing a task force, which led to the development of Canada’s first police-community referral protocol for children under 12 years of age in conflict with the law which has subsequently been adopted by other communities.  She consults to numerous national and international projects pertaining to young children with serious violent and chronic potential and at risk for involvement in the juvenile justice system.  She has participated on many national demonstration projects and government working groups. Dr. Augimeri also participated on the Minister of Education’s Accepting Schools Expert Panel and the Premier’s Award Panel for Accepting Schools and is a Fellow of the Academy of Experimental Criminology.

Leena K. Augimeri is also the recipient of numerous awards: National Recipient of the CAMH Difference Makers of 150 Leading Canadians for Mental Health, the Child Welfare League of Canada’s inaugural Outstanding Achievement Research and Evaluation Award, and the Elizabeth Manson Award for Community Service in Children’s Mental Health (exemplary contributions).  She also accepted on behalf of SNAP, the Prime Minister’s Award – Regional Social Innovation for SNAP, the Toronto Star’s Ruth Hindmarsh Award for its efforts to improve the lives of children and the International Society of Crime Prevention Practitioner’s Community Based Program of the Year (Population over 100,000) Award.  In addition, SNAP® was selected by the LEAP|Pecaut Centre for Social Impact as their inaugural social innovation to scale SNAP across Canada. Dr. Augimeri is leading this 5-year (2017 – 2021) initiative to bring SNAP to 100 communities using a unique framework - venture philanthropy, designed to help create massive social change and improve the landscape of children’s mental health in Canada. This initiative included a Phase 1, $12-million-dollar start-up campaign that was achieved in 2.5 years and a Phase 2, multi-million-dollar sustainability plan (2022+).  In total, thus far, this initiative has secured more than $40 million for SNAP (services, implementation, research, development and knowledge dissemination).