Bob Heeney is the Professional Practice Leader for Child and Youth Workers and Community Development Coordinator for the Adolescent Program at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores). He is a certified Child and Youth Counsellor and is currently working in collaboration with Dr. Heather Stuart of Queen’s University, who is the principal investigator of the Opening Minds youth initiative of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.  As chair of the Durham Talking About Mental Illness Coalition (TAMI), his current efforts seek to reduce stigma for youth living with mental illness. Mr. Heeney’s research interests lie in contact-based mental health education and how this model changes behaviour, increases knowledge and improves attitudes towards those who are living with a mental illness. On behalf of the Durham TAMI coalition, he accepted the 2007 Ministers Award for Innovation in Health Promotion and the 2007 OHA Leading Practices Award. Other awards for the Durham TAMI speakers include the 2007 Attorney General's Victim Services Award of Distinction, the 2009 Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Consumer Award, the 2009 Mary Neville Memorial Award and most recently, the 2010 Kaiser Foundation Award for Excellence in Youth Leadership.