October 2023
Meet Dr. Adeeb Malas, a second year resident in the Fraser Track of UBC Psychiatry’s Postgraduate Residency Program. He completed his undergraduate medical education in the UBC Southern Medical Program in the BC Interior in 2022.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
I am a Syrian-Canadian who immigrated after high school to the beautiful province of British Columbia! Since I immigrated without family, I was welcomed with open arms in the beautiful Kootenays. I also had the opportunity to fall in love with the winds of the island, the wines of the Okanagan and the culture of the lower mainland in less than 10 years!
I am a devoted son, a proud soon-to-be husband, and a constantly humbled doctor! If I am not working, I am either in the gym, playing guitar or traveling!
What made you choose psychiatry as a career path?
Psychiatry was the perfect combination of science and art where I can spend hours reading interesting RCTs and guidelines but can also explore the abstract and non-tangible with my patients. I can apply the complex psychopharmacology in my prescribing and can practice healing skills in providing psychotherapy.
In addition, I find the heterogeneity in psychiatry galvanizing as no two patients are alike even if they have the same diagnosis. Psychiatry is also one of the most multidisciplinary specialties in medicine, which fosters an excellent collegial working environment!
What excites you about the future of your field?
Psychiatry is a relatively young field with fertile opportunity for research, whether within the biological realm and the pharmacology of the medicines we use to treat, or the psychotherapeutic approaches used in the interview room with patients.
Psychiatry is also one of the specialties that strongly intersects with the law, societal beliefs, and culture, which are all dynamically affecting how we practice. The exploration of controlled administration of otherwise addictive substances within the psychotherapeutic realm in recent days is one of many examples that has the potential to revolutionize how we practice.
Who have been some inspirational or encouraging mentors along the way (personally or professionally)?
One of the most inspiring people I have worked with would be Dr. Jeffrey Douziech who practices in Kelowna General Hospital. His methods in teaching are an ideal that I hope to accomplish as a preceptor or senior resident for students on my team.
Despite my interest, I was apprehensive about starting my psychiatry rotation in Kelowna General Hospital in my clerkship due to a paradoxical pressure I had on myself to perform well despite having no experience. By implementing daily didactic 1:1 teaching, progressive assignment of responsibility and creating a safe space for making errors, he fostered eagerness and enthusiasm that I had not experienced on any other rotation. He created the perfect environment for an interested student to truly love the practice of psychiatry.