UBC Psychiatry IT: Memos & Updates | November 2023

Don’t Get FISHED by Emails

Email phishing is a type of fraud where scammers pretend to be trustworthy sources to obtain personal information or take advantage of victims.  Here are some quick tips to protect yourself and your data.

1. Double check the sender’s address: Fraudsters will use email addresses that appear similar. ie. @UBCedu.ca, @helpUBC.com, @UBCmail.ca
   
2. Avoid clicking on links from emails that you’re not expecting. They want to redirect you to a compromised website
   
3. Never send sensitive information over email or text.    

And it’s not limited to email based attacks. There has been a rise in SMS text based phishing as well. Many fraudsters are disguising as shipping couriers and banks in an attempt to trick you into clicking on the link in order to steal credit card info and other personal data.

If you believe you’ve fallen for a phishing email, and your password has been compromised, IMMEDIATELY change your password and notify UBC Information Security team at Security@ubc.ca and PSYCH IT at Psychiatry.IT@ubc.ca. 

Here are some links below for tips and info about phishing prevention.
(Don’t worry, these links are legitimate😀) 

https://privacymatters.ubc.ca/phishing-emails
https://privacymatters.ubc.ca/spear-phishing
https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en/phishing

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*ATTN* Please save and close any documents located in your mapped drives before the end of Friday Nov 17. Server update and reboot is planned for Friday evening.

Tip of the week: Manage Mail Box

Getting warnings that you’re running low on mailbox space? The more email you send and receive, the larger your Outlook mailbox can grow. Large mailboxes can take longer to open and search, and many email providers, including Microsoft 365, limit the maximum size of your mailbox. If you receive a message that your mailbox is over its size limit, deleting messages and folders can help. Mailbox Cleanup function in the Outlook app is a one-stop-clean-up tool you can use to trim the size of your mailbox. Follow the link here for information on how to reduce your mailbox size. 

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*Reminder* Another round of patches is being pushed down over the weekend. Please ensure to REBOOT your PCs at the end of your workday.

Tip of the week: Beware of “Spoofed” Web Pages

A common phishing tactic is providing a link that “spoofs” or imitates a legitimate company’s web page. For example, a cybercriminal may claim to be from Google or Microsoft and ask you to enter information on a particular form. This form will look virtually identical to the real thing, but it could be a place to share sensitive information with the criminal. If you’re unsure, please reach out to Psych IT or UBC IT for further assistance.
For more information you may visit the UBC cybersecurity page. 

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Learn How to Sign Out from Your Google Account on All Devices

If you have a Google account, this tip is for you. If you’re concerned about unauthorized access to your Gmail account, due to forgetting to log out from a shared computer or noticing suspicious activity, there’s an easy solution. There is a page that lets you see what devices have activity on the account and how to sign those devices out of the account.

Google support has the full instructions here. But here are the quick steps:

1. Open Gmail.
2. In the top right, click your photo.
3. Click ‘Manage your Google Account’.
4. Click ‘Security’ on the left panel.
5. Under ‘Your devices’, click ‘Manage all devices’.
6. Choose a device.
7. Click Sign out.

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*Reminder* Please reboot your computers before leaving for the weekend. Our monitors are still showing multiple devices that require a restart for patching to complete. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to PSYT IT.

Tip of the week: How to manage your desktop using Windows snapping feature

The Snap feature is a great way to improve your productivity by sharing many app windows on a single screen. Different layouts are available with many sizes to choose from, so you can get the most from your favourite apps when you are working on specific tasks. Follow this link to learn more about this feature.

Sincerely,

Simon Chong

Computer Systems Manager
Medicine | Psychiatry | Psychiatry IT
The University of British Columbia | Vancouver Campus | Musqueam Traditional Territory
2C1 – 2255 Wesbrook Mall | Vancouver British Columbia | V6T 2A1 Canada
psychiatry.it@ubc.ca 
http://psychiatry.ubc.ca

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).

Each year, Clarivate™ identifies the small fraction of the global research scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their field(s) of research. This select group contribute disproportionately to extending the frontiers of knowledge and gaining for society innovations that make the world healthier, more sustainable and more secure.

Congratulations to Professor Dr. Steven Taylor, who has been selected as one of the 7,125 highly cited researchers! Each researcher selected has authored multiple Highly Cited Papers™ which rank in the top 1% by citations for their field(s) and publication year in the Web of Science™ over the past decade. However, citation activity is not the sole selection indicator. A preliminary list based on citation activity is then refined using qualitative analysis and expert judgement.

Of the world’s population of scientists and social scientists, Highly Cited Researchers™ are 1 in 1,000.

Congratulations once again to Dr. Taylor on this amazing and well-deserved recognition!

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that Dr. William Panenka has been appointed to the role of Director, Research Track (RT) for the UBC Psychiatry Postgraduate Program, effective November 15, 2023.

As the new Director, Research Track, Dr. Panenka will be responsible for developing and implementing processes for the Resident Research Track training program to ensure that it is of the highest quality, fulfills all clinical and research objectives, and meets all the Royal College training requirements. In his role, he will attend all relevant committees and meetings, participate in activities related to accreditation of the program, and will head the RT part of the selections committee. Dr. Panenka will also be engaged in the setup and management related to the guidance and consideration of residents in the general program hoping for entry into the Research Track.

His other key duties will include meeting with RT residents biannually, initially to help identify supervisors for their research projects and allocate mentors, and then to ensure that their research is progressing reasonably.  These meetings will also review RT residents’ clinical progression in the general program and ensure that all Royal College requirements are being fulfilled.     

Dr. Panenka will be taking over this role from Dr. Sophia Frangou who, as announced in July, had opted to step down but graciously agreed to continue in the role until the vacancy has been filled.ongratulating Dr. Panenka and welcoming him to his new academic appointment in the Department.

Please join us in both warmly welcoming Dr. Panenka to this new leadership role, and once again thanking Dr. Frangou for her many valuable contributions to the Resident Research Track Program.

Sincerely,

Dr. Lakshmi N. Yatham, Professor and Head, UBC Department of Psychiatry
Dr. Irfan Khanbhai, Cl. Associate Professor and PGE Program Director, UBC Department of Psychiatry

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).

The 17th Annual Pacific Psychopharmacology Conference, organized by the UBC Department of Psychiatry and UBC CPD, took place on September 28-29, 2023 at the Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront in Vancouver and online. This year’s program included keynote speakers Professor Andrew Nierenberg of Harvard Medical School and Professor Philip McGuire of the University of Oxford, who joined a lineup of other world-class experts sharing their expertise on a range of psychiatric disorders and psychopharmacology topics.

The following topics were covered over the two-day event:

• New treatments for psychosis
• Diagnosing & treating bipolar spectrum disorders
• Clinical pharmacology of long-acting injectable antipsychotic medications
• Reproductive health for individuals with schizophrenia / bipolar disorder
• ADHD across the age spectrum
• Mental health and Indigenous community care
• Practical prescribing for insomnia in older adults

A total of 456 in-person and online attendees joined the conference this year, which included psychiatrists, psychologists and mental health specialists, pharmacists, family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, residents and students. 

Stay tuned for future announcements on next year’s conference, slated for September 19-20, 2024!

The UBC Mood Disorders Centre is now recruiting for a new clinical trial that is examining the efficacy of adjunctive cannabidiol (CBD) in treating bipolar depression.

The research team is looking for individuals who are diagnosed with bipolar disorder type I or II, currently taking a mood stabilizer and/or atypical antipsychotic and are currently experiencing a depressive episode.

Participants visit the clinic for a screening visit and a baseline visit, as well as visits at weeks 2, 4, and 6 to complete clinical assessments with a study doctor, laboratory tests, and answer questionnaires. Eligible participants will receive either a placebo or 200-600mg of CBD to take daily for 6 weeks.

If you have any patients who are interested in participating, please contact the research coordinator at bipolar.research@ubc.ca or 604-822-8045.