** Sent on Behalf of Dr. Sophia Frangou, Associate Head, Research, UBC Department of Psychiatry **
Nominations and self-nominations are now open for the Necia Elvin Memorial Prize for Schizophrenia Research. This prize of $1,600 has been made available through an endowment established by Dr. Memory Elvin-Lewis, family and friends in honor of her sister Necia Elvin.
Eligibility: Doctoral student or Postdoctoral trainee in Psychiatry, Psychology or Neuroscience
Award Criterion: Best paper published in the preceding year (i.e., May 2023 – May 2024) on any aspect of schizophrenia
Submissions should include:
(a) A PDF copy of the paper to be considered and;
(b) A completed self-nomination form with the name and affiliation of the applicant and a brief description (max. 200 words) of how their paper has advanced knowledge or improvement of treatment in schizophrenia.
Please send your self-nomination package to Margaret Koshi at margaret.koshi@ubc.ca by the deadline of May 31, 2024.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sophia Frangou, MD, Ph.D., FRCPsych, FRCPC President’s Excellence Chair in Brain Health Associate Head – Research Professor of Psychiatry
I acknowledge, with gratitude, that I live and work on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil- Waututh) Nations.
Congratulations to Clinical Professor & Division Head of Forensic Psychiatry Dr. Emlene Murphy, who has been appointed Senior Medical Director, Forensic Psychiatric Services, BC.
Dr. Murphy is a Royal College-certified forensic psychiatrist who has worked in forensic practice with youth and adults in both inpatient and outpatient care settings for 40 years, with 20 years of experience working in provincial Corrections. She has prepared reports for the Courts on NCRMD, Fitness, Dangerous Offenders, and sentencing. Her other areas of expertise include ER psychiatry, where she has worked part-time for 13 years, as well as addictions.
I wish to share some staffing updates and announcements regarding our UBC Department of Psychiatry Administration Office.
Firstly, we are delighted to welcome Ms. Michelle Plant as our new Administrative Assistant who has joined the Education team as of May 7. Michelle brings extensive UBC experience having provided administrative support to the UBC FoM UGE Office for many years. In her new role, she will be providing broad administrative support to our UGE, PGE and SSP programs. Michelle will be situated in the Education Office on the 11th Floor at the Diamond Centre at VGH campus and may be reached by email at michelle.plant@ubc.ca.
Also, I would like to share that Ms. Klara Labady has decided to pursue opportunities outside of UBC and is no longer in her role as Executive Coordinator as of April 26. As we move forward with recruitment to fill this position, we ask Department members to continue using the psychiatry.headasst@ubc.ca email to get in touch with the Head’s Office. Ms. Terena Zhao will be monitoring this email and will be providing coverage of tasks related to this role for the time being.
Please join me in warmly welcoming Michelle and wishing Klara all the best in her future endeavours!
Sincerely,
Margaret Koshi Director, Administration 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).
On behalf of the UBC Department of Psychiatry, I am delighted to invite you to the Annual Clinical Faculty Dinner, to be held on Thursday June 13, 2024 at 5:00pm (after the Research Day event) at The Arbutus Club (2001 Nanton Ave, Vancouver BC). The dinner will be an opportunity to recognize and show appreciation to all our clinical faculty members and their many valuable contributions to the Department.
RSVP: To all clinical faculty members who wish to attend, we ask that you please confirm your attendance by RSVPing here: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bp7urrz0YoRP6ei. Please kindly RSVP by the deadline of Sunday June 2, 2024 (11:59pm) in order to be added to the Guest List.
Save the Date: Please open and save this iCalendar file to add the event to your Outlook calendar, or manually add the event to your non-Outlook calendar.
**Reminder: Anyone experiencing symptoms or feeling unwell should not attend.
Should you have any questions regarding the venue or event details, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Rei Sakuma at rei.sakuma@ubc.ca.
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
Important Action Required: Secure Your CWL Account Immediately
UBC is seeing a significant increase in targeted phishing attacks resulting in compromised accounts in certain groups. Out of an abundance of caution we are requiring that you reset your CWL password immediately, unless you have already changed it after April 1, 2024
How to Reset Your CWL Password:
Navigate to CWL myAccount in your web browser
Log in using your current CWL username and password.
Once logged in, locate the “Change Password” section within the left-hand menu.
Enter your current password in the designated field.
Create a new, secure passphrase and enter it in the “New Password” field. Refer to the tips below for creating a strong passphrase.
Re-enter your new passphrase in the “Confirm Password” field.
Click “Update” to finalize the password change.
Choosing a Secure Passphrase:
Aim for a passphrase that is at least 15 characters long.
Do NOT partially re-use a previous password by adding numbers or special characters at the end.
Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols for maximum security.
Avoid using personal information like birthdays, addresses, or pet names.
Craft a passphrase that has personal meaning to you but isn’t easily guessed by others.
If you encounter any difficulties during the password reset process, please contact the UBC IT Service Centre at 604.822.2008 in Vancouver, and 250.807.9000 in the Okanagan. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping the UBC community safe.
*ATTN* Scheduled Power Outage – May 4 – 6am – 10pm
Temporary power shutdown for Koerner, Purdy and Detwiller building. Please be sure to SHUTDOWN your computer at the end of day Friday May 3 to prevent possible damage to equipment.
Psych IT will be powering down major systems Friday evening. PLEASE NOTE: remote desktop access will not be available during this down time.
Pending BC Hydro work completion, Psych IT will then proceed to restore all IT services.
The UBC Department of Psychiatry Administration Office respectfully acknowledges the land on which we live, work and play is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territorie
In The Lancet Psychiatry last week, Dr. Todd Woodward alongside Dr. Clara S. Humpston published an article noting that, despite early writings on hallucinations and recent evidence from cognitive neuroscience, psychiatric training and clinical vocabulary around hallucinations continues to be strongly influenced by emphasis on language such as the requirement for “full force” of a true perception.
As Dr. Woodward explains, “We hold that this has led to misunderstandings and inaccuracies in clinical practice, and misinterpretations in cognitive neuroscience. We propose a revision of the definition of auditory verbal hallucinations, to move away from the necessity for auditory perception, because auditory verbal hallucinations are more than some perceptual abnormalities of the mind, they are experienced by the entirety of one’s being, not just heard.”
He adds, “We recommend that medical students and trainee clinicians pay increased attention to the phenomenological nuances and complexities of anomalous thought and perception in clients/patients who have (or are at risk of) a schizophrenia-spectrum condition. For example, instead of ‘ Do you hear voices?’ clinicians could instead ask ‘Have your thoughts felt alien, as if they do not belong to you?’ or ‘Are your thoughts so loud that you can almost hear them?’ If any answers are positive, it is imperative to check in with the client/patient by following up with an open-ended question such as ‘Can you tell me more about these experiences?’. If the voices that those so-called mad people hear were not so distinctive or audible, or if the voices were just like the thoughts that everyone can have from time to time, then the clearly drawn demarcation lines between pathological and normal would suddenly become not so clear and the mad would not be so far removed from the normal. If emphasis on the perceptual quality of auditory verbal hallucinations were released, and if auditory verbal hallucinations would be considered as a type of belief rather than as exotic perception, then the discussion with the client/patient might be changed—from a simple response to a query about voices, to a different way of understanding the client/patient’s perception-like thoughts, involving checking in with the silenced selves behind the voices.”
Congratulations to Professor Dr. Evelyn Stewart, who has been named the holder of the new Congdon Family Hospital Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health Research at BC Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Stewart is a clinician scientist and an internationally recognized expert on Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders (OCRDs). As founding director of the UBC-Pediatric OCD Program at BC Children’s Hospital since 2011, her primary research focus has been to advance understanding and improve outcomes for OCRDs across the lifespan, the results of which have been integrated into the assessment and treatment of patients.
MeetDr. Matthew Chow, a Clinical Instructor and Specialist in Child and Youth Mental Health who currently serves as the Chief Mental Health Officer at TELUS Health. Previously, he served as President of Doctors of BC from 2020 to 2021.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
I am Chief Mental Health Officer at TELUS Health, Canada’s largest digital health company. A little-known fact is that TELUS Health now has one of the world’s largest mental health workforces, touching the lives of tens of millions around the globe. I trained in child and adolescent psychiatry at UBC, and served as president of Doctors of BC during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21.
What community do you work in?
Vancouver is technically my home base, but since my team and colleagues are located all around the world I also travel nationally and internationally about once a month.
Can you share what a typical work day looks like for you?
On a typical day last week, I had virtual meetings with team members across the country, recorded a mental health podcast with one of Canada’s largest employers, provided clinical feedback to our product development group, and listened to a pitch by a technology startup.
What has surprised you about psychiatry along the way? Are there things you’ve either encountered or learned that you would not have expected?
I never could have anticipated all the unique opportunities that my training in psychiatry would afford me. I have met the former president of the World Bank, worked with public health officials during the COVID-19 pandemic, shared a meal with the premier, contributed to family medicine reform in BC, and had my opinions published in national newspapers. My psychiatric training put me in a unique position to make the most out of these experiences, while also giving me the skills to make a difference to the people I am privileged to meet.
What excites you about the future of your field?
Artificial intelligence is going to revolutionize our field. We are going to see an explosion in A.I. assisted therapies, A.I. assisted diagnostics, A.I. assisted clinical guidance… And there is potential to make a serious dent in global health inequality— for example, there are many places in the world where there is only one psychiatrist for more than a million people. A.I. is going to make it possible to support community health workers to make mental health diagnoses and prescribe treatment. Who knows, maybe we’ll finally be able to ‘axe the fax’ and get rid of our outdated fax machines too? One can dream.
What is an important piece of advice you can share with junior colleagues and/or residents, or some considering a career in psychiatry?
Your career is what you make of it, not what people make of you. If there is an opportunity that excites you but you’re afraid to take that first step, make a giant leap instead. Go all in. You’re more likely to regret a missed opportunity than taking a risk.
What are you currently reading/watching/listening to?
Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke, The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate, Stop Reading the News by Rolf Dobelli, Thank you for Being Late by Thomas Friedman, Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari… trying to make sense of the world we live in and where we’re headed.
A monthly film series promoting professional and community education on issues pertaining to mental health and illness. Presented by The Cinematheque and the Institute of Mental Health, UBC Department of Psychiatry. Screenings are generally held on the third Wednesday of each month at The Cinematheque, 1131 Howe St, Vancouver, BC.
Canada/Cuba 2022 (90 min DCP) Director: Nisha Platzer Wednesday May 15th @ 7:00pm The Cinematheque (1131 Howe St)
Film Description
In 1999, when Nisha Platzer was 11 years old, her older brother Josh died by suicide. Twenty years later, the Vancouver-based artist traces the past using the art of analogue filmmaking in her debut feature documentary, back home. Through contemplative narration and fragmentary film sequences (hand-crafted by processing film using plants, soil, and ashes), Nisha documents her efforts to reconnect with the memory of her deceased brother. After experiencing mysterious pain in her feet, Nisha is advised to seek a particular form of yoga treatment. In one of several synchronicities, the yoga specialist she meets, Swan, is revealed to be the mother of Josh’s childhood friend Sam. Between poetic images captured on 16mm and 8mm, Nisha establishes a deep connection with Swan, Sam, and others who knew Josh well, offering a touching exploration of grief and healing in their various manifestations—physical, emotional, and communal.
“There’s a stark tactility to the images of back home, as well as a haunting, ethereal quality … [Platzer’s film] offers a poignant, personal consideration of family, wellness, and the (im)permanence of all things that walk the earth.” — Pat Mullen, POV Magazine
“With poetic attention to the smaller details that carry outsized emotional weight, back home navigates the agony of loss with clarity and a stubborn species of hope … [The film] creates a shared space for grief, healing, and true catharsis.” — Dorothy Woodend, The Tyee
“[Platzer’s back home] is less a story about family trauma than an attempt to empathize with the pain her brother was in … The result is a deeply moving and ultimately uplifting film about how to live with grief and loss.” — Andrea Thompson, Chicago Reader
Post-screening Discussion:
Post-screening discussion with Nisha Platzer and Maria Weaver. Moderated by Dr. Harry Karlinsky, Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia
About the Panel:
Nisha Platzer holds a master’s degree from Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV in Cuba and is a writer-director of short films that have screened at festivals on three continents. Her experience ranges from distributing documentaries and making handmade films on celluloid, to writing and directing narrative shorts and music videos.
Maria Weaver works for the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division, as the associate director of Suicide Prevention and Life Promotion. Her journey is marked by a profound dedication to enhancing crisis-care reform, training diverse groups on de-escalation, uplifting the voices of those who have experienced challenges in mental health systems, and leading the profound work in suicide prevention and life promotion.
Dr. Harry Karlinsky, the Series Director of Frames of Mind and a Clinical Professor in the UBC Department of Psychiatry, has a longstanding commitment to professional and public education. He has presented nationally and internationally on topics ranging from Alzheimer’s disease to information technology to narrative medicine to PTSD and to the use of films in health care education.
Want to be a regular at Frames of Mind screenings on the third Wednesday of every month? Subscribe to the email list and be the first in line for tickets!
