Dear Residents, Fellows, Staff and Colleagues,
It is with mixed feelings that I share that Dr. Irfan Khanbhai will be stepping down from his role as Program Director of the Postgraduate Psychiatry Specialty Program in the UBC Department of Psychiatry. Over the last six years, Dr. Khanbhai has done a phenomenal job in this important role, and though the Department will miss his outstanding leadership, we respect his decision to pursue other professional goals and aspirations.
Since assuming the role of Program Director in 2019, Dr. Khanbhai has been instrumental in ensuring the smooth transition to and implementation of Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) across all residency years of our PGE program. Under his direction, the program has continued to meet and exceed its objectives per the accreditation standards of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC). Meanwhile, he has actively engaged with our PGE site leaders, preceptors, residents and staff across our training sites, fulfilling a number of vital functions including facilitating regular review and updating of the overall goals of training based on the CanMEDs competencies, advocating on behalf of the Department and UBC at local and national meetings, and maintaining the overall high quality of postgraduate psychiatry education across all our distributed training sites.
Notably, while as Program Director, Dr. Khanbhai played key roles in advocating for and supporting the growth of our residency program which included increasing the number of residents at various sites and expanding the residency program to the Southern Medical Program at Interior Health Authority, and supporting the advocacy for and implementation of the recent changes to BC College policy, which now allows residents to complete Mental Health Act Forms. While the responsibilities of this role have become increasingly complex in recent years, under Dr. Khanbhai’s deft and competent direction, Psychiatry PGME is very well positioned for further growth, adaptability and success in the future.
Dr. Khanbhai has been an incredible leader in many other regards, having fostered a culture of inclusivity and mutual respect while building a very positive rapport with our residents. He has gone above and beyond to provide them with outstanding guidance and mentorship, ensuring they are well supported in their learning, in their career preparation, and importantly, in their personal wellbeing.
Hence, on behalf of the entire UBC Department of Psychiatry, I wish to express our deep gratitude to Dr. Khanbhai for his extraordinary contributions serving as the Postgraduate Program Director over these past six years. We very much look forward to continuing to work with and supporting Dr. Khanbhai within his ongoing appointments as Interim Associate Head, PGE & CPD and as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department.
In anticipation of Dr. Khanbhai’s departure from the PGE Program Director role, the Department is seeking expressions of interest from faculty members in the Department for this role for a three-year term with a start date as soon as possible. Dr. Khanbhai has graciously agreed to continue on until a new PGE Program Director is appointed and will stay on in the role until a gradual handover of responsibilities can be completed to ensure the new Director is set up for success in the role.
The appointee will report to the Department Head and Dr. Khanbhai as Interim Associate Head, who will be available to provide strategic leadership and guidance to the new Program Director. Please see the attached detailed description of responsibilities for this role.
If you are interested in this position, please submit your written expression of interest and CV by email to Margaret Koshi, Director of Administration, at margaret.koshi@ubc.ca by July 15, 2025.
Should you have any specific questions regarding this role, please don’t hesitate to contact Margaret.
Sincerely,
Dr. Lakshmi N. Yatham, MBBS, FRCPC, MRCPsych (UK), MBA (Exec)
Professor and Head, UBC Department of Psychiatry
Director, Institute of Mental Health, UBC
Regional Head and Program Medical Director, VCH/PHC
The UBC Department of Psychiatry Administration Office at the UBC Vancouver Campus respectfully acknowledges the land on which we live, work and play is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-waututh).