As a concept, ECHO represents the bouncing back of ideas.  The word is fun, familiar and welcomed by children and embodies the ECHO Research Centre’s child-centric approach to research.

ECHO is a Research Centre dedicated to the study of health and health-related quality of life issues in children and young adults.  The primary goal of the ECHO Research Centre is to promote the development of child health knowledge through research.

The key objectives of ECHO are:

• To facilitate the training of researchers in child health research by enveloping them in a supportive child health research environment;
• To increase the credibility of members at the funding table by achieving broader recognition;
• To achieve efficiencies through collective hiring and sharing of best practices;
• To increase the volume and quality of child health research.

The ECHO Research Centre is comprised of innovative faculty at Laurentian University who share a common interest in improving the health and well-being of children through research.  The core team combines expertise from the fields of clinical epidemiology (Dr. Nancy Young), health geography (Dr. Nicole Yantzi), kinesiology (Dr. Alain Gauthier), nursing (Dr. Sylvie Larocque), human kinetics (Prof. Stephen Richie), social work (Dr. Diana Coholic), psychology (Dr. Annie Roy-Charland).  They are supported by non-core team member Dr. Michel Lariviere (human kinetics). The group is led by Dr. Nancy L. Young, from the School of Rural and Northern Health, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Rural and Northern Children’s health.

The ECHO Research Centre focuses on vulnerable populations including:

• Children and youth with physical disabilities
• Children in care
• Children and youth in rural and northern regions
• Aboriginal children and youth
• Accessibility and inclusivity of children, particularly in the school environment
• Design and effectiveness of innovative intervention programs including arts-based therapy and outdoor adventure leadership programs