Dear Department members,
It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dr. Jordan Cohen, Clinical Associate Professor in the UBC Department of Psychiatry, who died last week following a long illness.
Dr. Cohen joined the Department in 2016 and quickly became a valued colleague, educator, and leader. He served as the Postgraduate Discipline Specific Site Leader at Lion’s Gate Hospital, and in April 2022 was appointed Associate Head for Postgraduate Education and Continuing Professional Development. In this role, he demonstrated exemplary leadership, overseeing the full accreditation of the Forensic Subspecialty Program, advancing the development and implementation of Competence by Design curricula across our Postgraduate Programs, and playing a key role in guiding the establishment of a CaRMS-track residency program in Interior Health. As a core member of the Department’s Executive, Advisory, and various Education committees, Dr. Cohen’s expertise and thoughtful contributions were greatly valued and respected.
As Medical Manager at the Regional Carlile Youth Concurrent Disorders Centre and at North Shore Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Services with Vancouver Coastal Health, Dr. Cohen’s clinical focus was on the inpatient treatment of adolescents with concurrent disorders. He was widely respected for his expertise, compassion, and commitment in the field.
Dr. Cohen was also a gifted educator. He consistently received outstanding teaching evaluations, was recognized by residents with the “Going Above and Beyond for Residents” award, and was honoured with a Departmental Clinical Education Award for his outstanding contributions to postgraduate clinical education. His impact as a mentor and teacher will be remembered with deep gratitude by his students, residents, and colleagues.
On behalf of the Department, I extend my heartfelt condolences to Dr. Cohen’s family, friends, colleagues, and learners during this time of great loss. He will be remembered with respect, admiration, and gratitude for his many contributions to our department and to the field of child and adolescent psychiatry.
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 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).