Bo Cao, University of Alberta

Research

Crc Fracture Management Opioid Prescribing Opioid Use Disorder Cannabis Mental Health Veterans

Latest papers

Investigating the impact of serotonergic psychedelic drugs, MDMA and ketamine on social cognition in psychiatric disorders: A scoping review.
Psychopharmacology · 2026
Patient perspectives on barriers to rTMS for peripartum depression.
BMC psychiatry · 2026
Common Challenges in Predicting Opioid-related Outcomes Using Machine Learning.
Substance use & addiction journal · 2026 · senior author

All 89 publications

Latest funding

Implementation of a national drug surveillance dashboard and co-creation of a national drug alert system.
CIHR · 2026 · Co-investigator
$748,244
Foundational Research Toward Machine Learning-Based Decision Support for Safer Opioid Prescribing in Emergency Department Patients with Acute Fractures
CIHR · 2026 · Principal investigator
$100,000
Canada Research Chair - Tier 2
CIHR · 2023 · Nominated PI
$500,000

All 6 grants and awards

89 publications.

01

Investigating the impact of serotonergic psychedelic drugs, MDMA and ketamine on social cognition in psychiatric disorders: A scoping review.

Smith SA, Mohammad H, Lee LHN, Dennett L, Smith S, Burback L, Winkler O, Greenshaw A, Jetly R, Kennedy SH, Bhat V, Swainson J, Vermetten E, Cao B, Li XM, Zhang Y

Psychopharmacology2026

DOI: 10.1007/s00213-026-07110-y PMID: 42380668

02

Patient perspectives on barriers to rTMS for peripartum depression.

Al-Shamali HF, Dong R, Jackson M, Burback L, Wong G, Cao B, Li XM, Greenshaw AJ, Zhang Y

BMC psychiatry2026

DOI: 10.1186/s12888-026-08234-3 PMID: 42271344

03

Common Challenges in Predicting Opioid-related Outcomes Using Machine Learning.

Saha C, Guzman AD, Li Y, Gu C, Ward E, Bhat V, Hayward J, Weleff J, Ghosh SM, Greiner R, Greenshaw A, Liu YS, Cao B

Substance use & addiction journal2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1177/29767342261467589 PMID: 42544628

04

Personalized vs. population-based speech models for multi-dimensional mental health prediction.

Tasnim M, He J, Cao B, Stroulia E

Frontiers in digital health2026

DOI: 10.3389/fdgth.2026.1690497 PMID: 42343941

05

Neurophysiological Signatures of Negative Symptom Improvement After High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation-Electroencephalography Study.

Chen M, Li D, Zhu R, Liu H, Cao B, Zhang X, Wang D

Biological psychiatry2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2026.07.026 PMID: 42705493

06

Revisiting the knowledge concept of mental health literacy and its relationships with stigma.

Wei Y, Sha L, McWeeny R, Johnston K, Bulut O, Cao B, Zhang Y, Baxter A, Carr W, Greenshaw A, Silverstone P, Kutcher S

Scientific reports2026

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-50222-w PMID: 42034808

07

Doctors can agree: Enhancing interrater reliability of mental health diagnosis among junior psychiatrists using electronic clinician assisting technology.

Liu YS, Qian L, Xiang J, Wang DB, Jiang J, Ni R, Mao H, Cheng C, Hong J, Jiang Q, Yang H, Xu H, Liu J, Cai X, Li XM, Cao B, Greenshaw AJ, Xu Y

Journal of affective disorders2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.121095 PMID: 41478386

08

Reimagining psychiatric care with agentic AI: promise, challenges, and a roadmap forward

Sharma D, Meshkat S, Perivolaris A, Kamaleddin MA, Teferra BG, Rueda A, Samavi R, Jetly R, Mago V, Wu Y

npj Digital Medicine202614 citations

DOI: 10.1038/s41746-026-02453-4

09

Co-involvement of stimulants with opioids in North America: A 'silent epidemic'.

Li Y, Pierce DV, Vik S, Dong K, Patten S, Zhang Y, Hayward J, Greenshaw AJ, Cao B

PLOS mental health2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000319 PMID: 41662009

10

Evaluating ADHD screening tools: A comparative analysis of accuracy, cost, and complexity.

Mackie J, Ji C, Davalos-Guzman A, Weleff J, Wei Y, Ahmed G, Zhang Y, Chokka P, Cao B, Liu YS

Psychiatry research2025

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116748 PMID: 41072337

Implementation of a national drug surveillance dashboard and co-creation of a national drug alert system.

Co-investigatorCIHR2026Team Grant: Strength.Resilient/Equitable Public Health Systems- Community Sector

Principal investigators: Ghosh, Sumantra M; Davidson, Sara; Grandy, Cameron A; Kent, Pamela

Keywords: Addiction; Drug Alert System; Drug Surveillance; Epidemiology; Harm Reduction; Implementation Science; Quality Improvement

$748,244

Foundational Research Toward Machine Learning-Based Decision Support for Safer Opioid Prescribing in Emergency Department Patients with Acute Fractures

Principal investigatorCIHR2026Catalyst Grant: Digital Health

Principal investigators: Hayward, Jake; Dowling, Shawn K; Cao, Bo; Li, Henry

Keywords: Fracture Management; Opioid Prescribing; Opioid Use Disorder

$100,000

Canada Research Chair - Tier 2

Nominated PICIHR2023Canada Research Chairs - CIHR Funded - Tier 2

Principal investigators: Cao, Bo

Keywords: Crc

$500,000

COVID-19 Physical Distancing and Post-Traumatic Stress Injury: Utilization of Digital Health and Remote Mental Health Services for Military, Veterans, and Public Safety Personnel

Co-investigatorCIHR2020Operating Grant: Knowledge Synthesis: COVID-19 in Mental Health & Substance Use

Principal investigators: Bremault-Phillips, Suzette C; Clelland, Steven R; Snaterse, Mark; Agyapong, Vincent O; Ferguson-Pell, Martin W; Greenshaw, Andrew J

Keywords: Assessment And Intervention; Covid-19; Digital Health; Mental Health; Military; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder/Injury; Public Safety Personnel; Remote Clinical Access; Technological Solutions; Veterans

$49,964

Understanding cannabis use by Canadian Veterans and its impact on their health, well-being and quality of life

Principal investigatorCIHR2020Catalyst Grant: Cannabis and Mental Health - Veterans

Principal investigators: Bremault-Phillips, Suzette C; Heber, Alexandra; Snaterse, Mark; Cao, Bo; Greenshaw, Andrew J; Sevigny, Phillip; Zhang, Yanbo

Keywords: Cannabis; Mental Health; Veterans

Canada Research Chair - Tier 2

Nominated PICIHR2018Canada Research Chairs - CIHR Funded - Tier 2

Principal investigators: Cao, Bo

Keywords: Crc

$600,000

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Occupational Therapy
Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences
Psychiatry
Behavioural Neuroscience & Psychiatry
Pediatrics
Computing and Software
Medicine
Other

Co-authors at University of Alberta, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Andrew Greenshaw

Occupational Therapy

23 shared papers, latest 2026

Yanbo Zhang

Occupational Therapy

20 shared papers, latest 2026

Jake Hayward

Faculty

12 shared papers, latest 2026

Mark Snaterse

Occupational Therapy

6 shared papers, latest 2022

Venkat Bhat

Behavioural Neuroscience & Psychiatry

5 shared papers, latest 2026

Liana Urichuk

Pediatrics

4 shared papers, latest 2022

Margot Jackson

Faculty

3 shared papers, latest 2026

Benicio Frey

Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences

3 shared papers, latest 2024

Reza Samavi

Computing and Software

3 shared papers, latest 2026

Valerie Taylor

Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences

3 shared papers, latest 2024

Rudolf Uher

Psychiatry

3 shared papers, latest 2024

Magdalena Janus

Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences

3 shared papers, latest 2024

Peter Silverstone

Psychiatry

3 shared papers, latest 2026

Roumen Milev

Psychiatry

2 shared papers, latest 2023

Carla Hilario

Faculty

2 shared papers, latest 2022

Flavio Kapczinski

Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences

2 shared papers, latest 2022

Russ Greiner

Medicine

2 shared papers, latest 2022

Scott Patten

Community Health Sciences

2 shared papers, latest 2025

Kathryn Dong

Faculty

2 shared papers, latest 2025

Hollis Lai

Mike Petryk School of Dentistry

1 shared papers, latest 2021

Suzette Bremault-Phillips

Occupational Therapy

1 shared papers, latest 2022

Steven Clelland

Occupational Therapy

1 shared papers, latest 2022

Martin Ferguson-Pell

Physical Therapy

1 shared papers, latest 2020

Quan Long

Community Health Sciences

1 shared papers, latest 2024

Divya Sharma

Biostatistics Division

1 shared papers, latest 2026

Chester Ho

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

1 shared papers, latest 2024

Frank MacMaster

Psychology

1 shared papers, latest 2022

Christopher McCabe

Faculty

1 shared papers, latest 2022

Vincent Agyapong

Occupational Therapy

1 shared papers, latest 2020

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their CIHR grant from 2026

Subject: Prospective PhD student: Crc Dear Professor Cao, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Investigating the impact of serotonergic psychedelic drugs, MDMA and ketamine on social cognition in psychiatric disorders: A scoping review." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your CIHR-funded project "Foundational Research Toward Machine Learning-Based Decision Support for Safer Opioid Prescribing in Emergency Department Patients with Acute Fractures" (2026), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]