Rachelle Pullmer

Rachelle Pullmer

Clinical Instructor, UBC Department of Psychiatry

Email: rpullmer@providencehealth.bc.ca

Audrey Wexler

Clinical Instructor, UBC Department of Psychiatry

Email: awexler@cw.bc.ca

Vu Pham

Clinical Instructor, UBC Department of Psychiatry

Email: vu.pham@interiorhealth.ca

Viktoria Thomas

Clinical Instructor, UBC Department of Psychiatry

Email: viktoria.thomas1@vch.ca

Emily Fraser

Clinical Instructor, UBC Department of Psychiatry

Email: emily.fraser@cw.bc.ca

Roxanne Mitchell

Clinical Instructor, UBC Department of Psychiatry

Email: roxanne.mitchell@islandhealth.ca

Upcoming Award Opportunities | Call for Nominations

Dear Department members,

As we approach the fall semester, numerous opportunities to apply for awards, both within UBC and externally, are available. As such, the newly formed Department Awards & Recognition Committee is extending a department-wide call out, inviting peer nominations and self-nominations for upcoming award opportunities.

UBC Awards

External Awards

UBC Directory of Award Opportunities

If you wish to explore an extended list of awards, the UBC Office of Research Prizes and Awards (ORPA) has a directory of external research prize and award opportunities available to researchers, spanning all disciplines. View UBC’s Directory of Award Opportunities:

View Awards Opportunities

Please note that the above noted deadlines are for the award applications and internal deadlines will be earlier. For some awards department heads and Faculty need to be contacted in order to put forward a nomination.



Adjudication of Nominations Process

If you are interested in self-nomination or nominating a colleague, please submit your nomination to Margaret Koshi, Director, Administration (margaret.koshi@ubc.ca) prior to the respective deadline. The Committee’s nominations process has three stages:

  1. Submit nominations along with a brief rationale and a CV of the nominee
  2. Nominees’ CV and other relevant documents will be reviewed by the Committee based on the respective award criteria, relevant contributions, and meritorious achievements of each candidate to ensure the suitability of candidates for specific award
  3. Recommendations and feedback will be provided to potential nominees and self-nominees to enhance their chances of success
  4. Nominations letters and packages will be prepared and selected candidates will be put forward, per the respective award nominations procedures

Sincerely,

Department Awards & Recognition Committee
Dr. Joseph Tham, Clinical Faculty Representative
Dr. Clare Beasley, Academic Faculty Representative
Dr. Ashok Krishnamoorthy, Division Head, Geriatric Psychiatry
Dr. Emlene Murphy, Division Head, Forensic Psychiatry
Dr. Timothy Murphy, Division Head, Neuroscience & Translational Psychiatry
Dr. Roberto Sassi, Division Head, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Dr. Christian Schütz, Division Head, Substance Use & Concurrent Disorders
Dr. Randall White, Division Head, Adult Psychiatry & Mental Health Services
Margaret Koshi, Administrator

Committee Mandate
The Department of Psychiatry Awards & Recognition Committee was established to proactively identify and recommend deserving faculty members of the Department for nomination for notable meritorious awards and honours within the Faculty of Medicine and the University, and for significant external awards.

By ensuring that outstanding faculty members are duly nominated whilst upholding departmental values of EDI, the Committee will strive to promote a culture of broad, inclusive and diverse recognition.

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).

UBC Psychiatry IT: Memos & Updates | August 2024

THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2024

Save and close any documents before the weekend!

*ATTN* Please SAVE any working documents and leave your computer ON over the weekend. As part of our regular maintenance schedule, we will be initiating a forced reboot of our server.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 2024

Reboot your computer before the long weekend!

*ATTN* As part of our regular maintenance, please SAVE all working documents and REBOOT your computers before leaving work today. Leave your computer powered ON over the BC Day long weekend. Psychiatry IT will be completing server updates over the long weekend, so shared file access will be intermittent over the next few days.

*NOTE* We will also initiate a forced reboot next weekend as part of the regular maintenance schedule.

Thank you for your cooperation and have a great weekend!

If you have any questions or issues, please feel free to reach out to Psychiatry IT.

Psychiatry IT
psychiatry.it@ubc.ca
604 827 5695

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.

In the Spotlight | AUSTIN LAM

August 2024

Meet Dr. Austin Lam, a third-year resident in the Research Track of UBC Psychiatry’s Postgraduate Residency Program. He completed his undergraduate medical education at the University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

I grew up in Coquitlam right behind the Riverview Hospital grounds (which may have had an inadvertent impact on my career pathway). I left Vancouver for Montreal for my undergraduate studies at McGill in psychology and philosophy, followed by medical school at the University of Toronto. My family is based in Vancouver and I’m very happy to be back home.

What’s your favourite part about training the track that you’re in?

I’m in the Research Track and it’s amazing to be part of a group of colleagues with diverse interests but who share an underlying drive to advance the state of the field through scientific and scholarly efforts. For myself personally, I am grateful for the opportunity to be back working with my long-time mentor and research supervisor, Dr. Tonia Nicholls, on several projects in my area of interest in forensic mental health.

What has surprised you about psychiatry along the way? Are there any things you’ve either encountered or learned that you would not have expected?

The kaleidoscopic variations of psychopathology will always inspire for me a sense of awe and wonderment, which I don’t think I fully appreciated prior to residency. I never know what variation will present itself in front of me until I meet the patient, and it’s always interesting.

Who have been some inspirational or encouraging mentors along the way, personally or professionally?

I have been immensely lucky with the mentors I have had along my training journey, including my current research supervisor, Dr. Tonia Nicholls, and co-supervisor, Dr. Christian Schütz. It was at Dr. Nicholls’ lab where I first was exposed to and became interested in forensic psychiatry when I volunteered with her fresh out of my first undergraduate year. Subsequently, in Toronto, I had the chance to continue forensic research with Drs. Sandy Simpson and Stephanie Penney at CAMH, to whom I am grateful for their teaching and generosity. Dr. Simpson, in particular, is an inspiring role model in advancing recovery in forensic mental heath. It’s always nice to be able to catch up with my mentors at conferences!

What excites you about the future of your field?

In short, everything! Specifically, I look forward to seeing psychiatry’s ever stronger adoption of measurement-based care that can be tied to outcome metrics as part of a living and growing system that incorporates research as part of continuous clinical improvement, as opposed to siloing research from clinical work.



What are your interests or hobbies outside of work?

Outside of work, I maintain my interest in the humanities by reading philosophy, history, poetry, and literature. Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor is a personal favourite, and I am currently reading his new book, Cosmic Connections: Poetry in the Age of Disenchantment. I do a bit of writing on the side too, with essays and poems published in various outlets as a way of reflection and expression. You might also see me in the audience at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Opera, or Ballet BC.

UBC Department of Psychiatry Staffing Update | August 2024

Dear Department members,

I would like to share a couple of staffing updates and announcements regarding our UBC Department of Psychiatry Administration Office.

Firstly, we are delighted to welcome Ms. Kaitlin Vandewater as our new Executive Coordinator as of August 6. Prior to joining our staff, Kaitlin worked as Manager of Operations/Assistant to the Director of Academics at Ontario College of Health and Technology and as a regional supervisor for the YMCA. In her new role, Kaitlin will be providing day-to-day administrative support to the Department Head and IMH Director, in addition to coordinating department events and meetings, and supporting the clinical and research activities of the UBC Mood Disorders Program. She will be situated in the Head’s Office at Detwiller Pavilion at UBC Hospital and may be reached by email at psychiatry.headasst@ubc.ca. Further, I would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank Ms. Terena Zhao for doing such an outstanding job providing coverage as we were recruiting for this position over the last few months.

Also, it is with mixed feelings that I share that our HR Assistant Ms. Eunice Yiu will be leaving her position in the Department to accept a new role as HR Advisor for the Burnaby School Board. Eunice has done a phenomenal job supporting our Department members and expertly handling the portfolio for Student/Staff/Volunteer HR Workday processes. While we are very sad to see her leave UBC, we are thrilled for her as she advances in her career. As Eunice’s final working day will be August 9, please include our Assistant HR Manager Ms. Leah Ranada (leah.ranada@ubc.ca) on all staff/student/volunteer HR-related requests, and she will delegate these requests appropriately to our team as we recruit for this vacancy.

Please join me in warmly welcoming Kaitlin to the team and wishing Eunice 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).