Inviting Expressions of Interest | Graduate Representative on Department EDI Committee

Inviting Expressions of Interest | Graduate Representative on Department EDI Committee

** Sent on behalf of the Departmental Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee **

Dear Master’s/PhD Students in the Department of Psychiatry,

As you may be aware, a refreshed Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee is being established in the UBC Department of Psychiatry. This Committee will be comprised of members from across the Department with diverse experiences and perspectives, working together to examine issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusion in order to provide consultation to the Department Head.    

At this time, we are calling for expressions of interest for a Graduate Representative who is currently enrolled in a Master’s or PhD program to serve on this Committee.

If you are interested, please send an email with a brief rationale for your interest in joining this Committee to Dr. Andrea Tuka at andrea.tuka@ubc.ca.

Sincerely,

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Department of Psychiatry
University of British Columbia

We acknowledge, with gratitude, that we live and work on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil- Waututh) Nations.

IMH Showcase | April 2024

JOHN-JOSE NUNEZ

IMH Marshall Fellow
UBC Mood Disorders Centre
BC Cancer Agency


Meet Dr. John-Jose Nunez, an IMH Marshall Fellow using computational methods to advance mental healthcare. Dr. Nunez’s groundbreaking research includes predicting mental illness in cancer patients and functional improvements in depression treatments. Outside of work, he enjoys travelling and making wine – a hobby that he highly recommends for researchers!

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

I’m a psychiatrist and clinical research fellow at UBC. My research is focused on using cutting-edge computational methods to help patients with mental illness, including artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and other big data approaches. This blend of computer science and psychiatry comes from a lifelong journey of not knowing whether I wanted to be a doctor or a computer programmer. I decided to do both! During my psychiatry residency, I completed my master’s in computer science, to give me the tools I need to use these techniques. I think, in life, it’s important to figure out what you’re passionate about, and go for it, even if those passions can sometimes seem pretty distinct!

Can you describe what kind of research you are involved in?

Some of my current projects include using large language models to “read” cancer documents to help predict which cancer patients will develop mental illness, hopefully allowing them to receive help sooner. Another project uses machine learning to predict which patients with depression will have improvements in their function at work and home if they were to take an antidepressant.

Do you have any recent publications or other accomplishments that you would like to share?

We’ve published some high-impact papers lately, including our papers in JAMA Network Open and Psychiatry Research, and our paper hot off the press in Communications Medicine. I’ve also had a chance to present my work, including recently at the ACLP conference in Austin, Texas, and as a plenary speaker at the recent BC Cancer Research Summit. I’m presenting in Lille, France as well in a few months.

What are your interests and hobbies outside of work?

One of the benefits of getting to present my work internationally is I get to enjoy my love of travel; some recent highlights include enjoying hot springs in the Azores, wine tasting in Argentina, and cycling Japan’s Shimanami Kaido. My favourite hobby at home is winemaking – the perfect hobby for a researcher as letting it sit when I get too busy helps improve the wine!

If you are an IMH member and would like to share more about yourself and your research with the community, please contact IMH Research Manager Dr. Nicole Sanford at nicole.sanford@ubc.ca.

Inviting Expressions of Interest | Staff Representative on Department EDI Committee

** Sent on behalf of the Departmental Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee **

Dear Department Staff members,

As you may be aware, a refreshed Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee is being established in the UBC Department of Psychiatry. This Committee will be comprised of members from across the Department with diverse experiences and perspectives, working together to examine issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusion in order to provide consultation to the Department Head.    

At this time, we are calling for expressions of interest for a Staff Representative to serve on this Committee.

If you are interested, please send an email with a brief rationale for your interest in joining this Committee to Dr. Andrea Tuka at andrea.tuka@ubc.ca.

Sincerely,

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Department of Psychiatry
University of British Columbia

We acknowledge, with gratitude, that we live and work on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil- Waututh) Nations.

Call for Nominations for the Necia Elvin Memorial Prize for Schizophrenia Research

** 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 Dr. Emlene Murphy, Appointed Senior Medical Director, Forensic Psychiatric Services, BC

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.

UBC Department of Psychiatry Staffing Update | May 2024

Dear Department members,

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).

PLEASE RSVP | UBC Psychiatry Clinical Faculty Annual Dinner | Thursday June 13 @ 5:00pm | The Arbutus Club

Dear Clinical Faculty Members,

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

Emily Fraser

UBC Psychiatry IT: Memos & Updates | May 2024

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:  

  1. Navigate to CWL myAccount in your web browser    
  2. Log in using your current CWL username and password.   
  3. Once logged in, locate the “Change Password” section within the left-hand menu.   
  4. Enter your current password in the designated field.   
  5. Create a new, secure passphrase and enter it in the “New Password” field. Refer to the tips below for creating a strong passphrase.   
  6. Re-enter your new passphrase in the “Confirm Password” field.   
  7. 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.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach us at psychiatry.it@ubc.ca

Sincerely,

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 territorie

Dr. Todd Woodward Publishes New Article on Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Schizophrenia in Lancet Psychiatry

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.”