Dear Staff, Fellows, Residents, and Colleagues,
As you will recall, in 2023, the UBC Department of Psychiatry, in partnership with the UBC Institute of Mental Health (IMH), created a new academic faculty position in the area of Concurrent Disorders. Now that the search and selection process for this position has been completed, I am delighted to announce that Dr. Pouya Azar is the successful candidate.
I believe many of you are already well acquainted with Dr. Azar, a Clinical Assistant Professor who has been very active in research and supervision in the Department since 2018 and recently delivered a faculty lecture on Innovative Solutions for the Management of Opioid Use Disorder in the Fentanyl Era at our Research Day in June. He transitioned from his current clinical faculty appointment to a full-time tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor as of July 1, 2025.
As a clinician-scientist specializing in addiction psychiatry and pain medicine, Dr. Azar serves as co-medical manager and physician for the Complex Pain and Addiction Service, a consult service within the Department of Psychiatry at Vancouver Coastal Health. This service addresses pain, mental health, and substance use disorders across Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), UBC Hospital, and GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre. He also works as Director of the Concurrent Disorders and Pain Fellowship Program, and as a physician at the VGH Transitional Pain Clinic and Co-lead of the Substance Use Disorder Clinical Research Unit at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Azar’s research focuses on advancing treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) and improving outcomes for patients with co-occurring mental health, substance use, and pain conditions. As an emerging leader in this area, he has developed protocols for rapid buprenorphine and methadone initiations for individuals using high-potency synthetic opioids. These protocols have been featured in multiple publications and adopted for clinical practice in institutions both locally and internationally.
He is currently collaborating with the UBC Department of Chemistry to develop a portable device capable of quantifying opioids in drug and biological samples to estimate opioid tolerance and facilitate opioid agonist therapy initiation, as well as developing a molecular labeling technology to track opioids and their precursors. In partnership with Cornell University, he is evaluating a contactless monitoring system designed to track physiological parameters in seclusion rooms and supervised consumption sites. In addition, he is working with the BC Institute of Technology to design digital algorithms and mobile apps that enhance adherence to opioid agonist therapy and support long-term recovery.
As well, Dr. Azar is leading a youth-focused prevention campaign that leverages modern multimedia and social media strategies to engage at-risk populations with relatable, evidence-informed messaging. To date, his research has attracted funding from peer-reviewed grant agencies such as CIHR and NSERC as well as philanthropic support through the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation.
As a new tenure-stream faculty member, Dr. Azar will continue building his robust translational research program in the treatment of OUD and concurrent disorders, and I am confident that, in joining our academic faculty, he will continue to make meaningful contributions as he embarks on this exciting new chapter.
Please join me in warmly congratulating Dr. Azar and welcoming him to his new academic appointment in the Department!
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).