We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Clinical Instructor Dr. Paul Waraich on Friday March 3rd, 2023. Dr. Waraich was a dedicated Vancouver-based psychiatrist working in the areas of consultation-liaison, emergency, inpatient and outpatient psychiatry, who also made notable contributions to research and literature in the areas of schizophrenia and mood disorders.
Dr. Waraich was a graduate of the UBC residency program in Psychiatry, as well as the UBC Master’s of Health Sciences program in clinical epidemiology. He was first appointed to the UBC Department of Psychiatry as an academic faculty member in 2001, and during his term was involved in several impactful studies funded by the provincial and federal governments. They included a large multi-centred Health Canada project to develop national consensus on indicators that reflect the quality of care in the primary care mental health system, for which he served as Principal Investigator.
In 2007, Dr. Waraich stepped down from his academic position to focus on his clinical work and his young children, however decided to return to the Department as a clinical faculty member in 2011. Over the years, he actively participated in teaching and supervision of both medical students and residents, and in 2014, was appointed to our educational leadership team as the PGE Site Director at Burnaby Hospital. In this role, he was highly dedicated to each of our residents training at this site, ensuring they were all well supported and meeting their learning goals and objectives. While Dr. Waraich stepped down from this role at Burnaby Hospital in 2016 to transition to private practice, he remained an active and valued member of our UBC Psychiatry community.
The passing of Dr. Waraich is a significant loss to the Department, to his many friends, patients, former students and mentees at UBC, Burnaby Hospital, and SFU where he held an adjunct appointment, and to his numerous colleagues with whom he collaborated all across the country. The UBC Department of Psychiatry wishes to send its sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of Dr. Waraich during this profoundly difficult time.
If you wish to send a message of remembrance in honour of Dr. Waraich, please do so by visiting his memorial page here.