Applications Now Open! | FLEX Advisor in the Vancouver Fraser Medical Program
**Sent On Behalf Of Drs. Alice Mui And Heather Yule, Medd 419 Course Co-Directors**
Flexible Enhanced Learning (FLEX) consists of a longitudinal series of courses (MEDD 419/429/449) in Years 1, 2 and 4 of the UBC MD curriculum of the undergraduate medical program. FLEX provides students with dedicated curricular time to explore individual scholarly interests and enhanced learning opportunities in the broad context of medical training.
You are invited to apply to be a FLEX Advisor (working with an assigned small group of 8-9 medical students) in the Vancouver Fraser Medical Program for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Detailed descriptions of the FLEX Advisor positions are found in the TABLE below.
| Course (Year) | Location of teaching | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MEDD 419 (FLEX Year 1) | Month of Sept 2025 – In person preferred at Life Sciences Centre (UBC Point Grey Campus) Oct 2025 to Jun 2026 – all online work | Those new to FLEX and small group teaching are encouraged to apply to be a FLEX Advisor in MEDD 419 where they can learn how students evolve from weekly sessions in Foundations of Scholarship (Sept to Feb) to developing project plans (Mar to early Apr) to engaging in their chosen activities (end of Apr to early Jun). You don’t need to be an expert in all types of research/topics taught in Foundations of Scholarship – the course supports teaching faculty by providing answer keys for advisors in weekly guides |
| MEDD 429 (FLEX Year 2) | Sept 2025 to May 2026 – All online work | Very few encounters between Advisors and Students – students define what they intend to work on and then engage in that work |
| MEDD 449 (FLEX Year 4) | Sept 2025 to Feb 2026 – All online work | Very few encounters between Advisors and Students – students define what they intend to work on and then engage in that work |
If interested please complete the RECRUITMENT FORM.
With the expansion of the UBC Medical School, we need more faculty than ever to get involved in undergraduate teaching; so, If you have teaching colleagues who may also be interested in being a FLEX Advisor, you are welcome to forward this invite and attachments to them.
NOTE: If you wish to be an Activity Supervisor (a different role than a FLEX Advisor) and are looking to advertise your project to interested FLEX students, you can submit your project here at any time: FLEX Activity Proposal Form
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We hope to see your application!
Niki Giannopoulos
FLEX Manager
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 by May 16 | PGE Psychiatry Grad Gala | Friday, June 6
** Sent on behalf of the UBC Psychiatry Postgraduate Education Team **
Dear Residents and Faculty,
We invite you to join the Class of 2025 Psychiatry graduates in celebration on Friday, June 6, 2025! Please see the details below and RSVP using the link provided by Friday, May 16, 2025.
RSVP Link: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_efdYliiFMGPdl8G
Event Details
Date: Friday, June 6, 2025
Time: 5:30pm
Venue: Sage Restaurant, UBC
Address: 6331 Crescent Rd, Vancouver, BC
To complete the RSVP form, you will be asked to include your guest numbers, as well as select entrées of choice and inform us of any dietary restrictions.
Once you complete the RSVP form, you will be redirected to the ticketing page. Please select the correct number of tickets to reflect your party, even if some are complimentary. This will ensure we have accurate event numbers for our venue.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Kind regards,
Raquel Portillo Henriquez
Senior Program Assistant, PGE
UBC Department of Psychiatry
FRAMES OF MIND Mental Health Film Series | “Memoir of a Snail”, Wednesday May 21 | The Cinematheque | Co-sponsored by the UBC Psychiatry Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Division
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.
Memoir of a Snail
Australia 2024
Director: Adam Elliot
Wednesday May 21, 2025 @ 7:00pm
The Cinematheque (1131 Howe St)
Film Description
“A weirdly affecting tragicomedy … Memoir of a Snail feels heartfelt and personal, like an exhortation to the downtrodden drawn from hard-won life experience.” – Alissa Wilkinson, The New York Times
Recently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Adam Elliot’s tragicomedy recounts the misfortunes of a misfit named Grace who becomes obsessed with snails. After she is separated from her twin brother Gilbert, traumatic events and failed relationships compound and lead to a myriad of mental health conditions including hoarding, kleptomania, and depression. To cope, a melancholic Grace becomes an ardent collector of romance novels and guinea pigs. Eventually her loneliness is alleviated by an unlikely but sweet friendship with an eccentric elderly woman named Pinky, whose lust for life offers Grace a glimmer of inspiration and hope. A stop-motion feat worthy of the big screen, Elliot’s poignant tale features over 200 handmade claymation puppets, rivalling a Tim Burton production. The medium is particularly suited to exploring the imperfections of the human condition, including its most agonizing and beautiful quandaries.
This screening is co-sponsored by the UBC Psychiatry Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. FREE TICKET: The first 10 members of the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry who email Terena Zhao at psychiatry.divisions@ubc.ca to RSVP will obtain a free ticket!
 Share |
 Tweet |
 Forward |
“Memoir of a Snail’s family-entertainment approachability belies a strange intensity … There are some candid hints, through the obviously personal narrative touches, that in this film some very real adult pain and anger is being hidden in plain sight—or, actually, not at all hidden.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Post-screening Discussion:
Post-screening discussion with Dr. Wolfgang Linden, a Professor Emeritus in Clinical and Health Psychology at UBC.
Dr. Wolfgang Linden has written over 170 peer-reviewed articles and book chapter and seven books, including an undergraduate textbook in Clinical Psychology that first appeared in 2011, a second edition in 2018, and a third edition in preparation. He previously served as president of the British Columbia Psychological Association, and also the Canadian Psychological Association. For four decades now, he volunteered as an advocate for improved mental health care in British Columbia and Canada. His current focus for advocacy is the reduction of adverse childhood events
The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Harry Karlinsky, the Series Director of Frames of Mind and a Clinical Professor in the UBC Department of Psychiatry.
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!
Congratulations to Dr. Irfan Khanbhai, Recipient of 2025 PGME Program Director Award!
The Department congratulates PGE Program Director and Interim Associate Head Dr. Irfan Khanbhai on receiving the 2025 PGME Program Director Award!
Each year, the Faculty of Medicine Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) program recognizes faculty and staff for their outstanding contributions to residency education. This award highlights Dr. Khanbhai’s exceptional leadership, dedication to program development, and unwavering support for both residents and the broader educational mission of the Department and the FoM PGME Program. This award was presented to Dr. Khanbhai at the 2025 PGME Spring Workshop
We are also pleased to share that several other clinical faculty and staff from our department have been nominated for various PGME Award categories, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to residency education. The nominees include:
Program / Site Director Nominees:
Dr. Alison Gregson
Dr. Michelle Waller
Faculty Nominees:
Dr. Bradley Williamson
Dr. David Kealy
Dr. Ejike Udumaga
Dr. Jaeyun Yoo
Dr. Jeffrey Douziech
Dr. Kylie Riou
Dr. Leah Rosetti
Dr. Lingsa Jia
Dr. Mansoor Anwar
Dr. Michelle van den Engh Cook
Program Administrator Nominees:
Ahsan Sahibzada
Linda Chang
Olivia Michaels
Please join us in celebrating this well-deserved recognition of Dr. Khanbhai’s, as well as the significant contributions of all our department’s nominees to postgraduate medical education at UBC.
YOU ARE INVITED: Please RSVP | UBC Psychiatry Clinical Faculty Annual Dinner | Thursday June 5 @ 5:00pm | The Arbutus Club
** Sent on behalf of Dr. Lakshmi N. Yatham, Professor & Department Head, UBC Department of Psychiatry **
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 5, 2025 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 Friday May 23, 2025 (11:59pm) in order to be added to the Guest List.
This event is open only to UBC Psychiatry clinical faculty, members of our leadership teams, and administrative staff (unfortunately, it is closed to non-Department members).
Save the Date: Please open and save the 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. Kaitlin Vandewater at psychiatry.headasst@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
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).
CaRMS 2nd Iteration Psychiatry Program Match Results
**Shared on behalf of Dr. Irfan Khanbhai, Program Director, UBC Psychiatry Postgraduate Education Program**
Dear Residents and Faculty,
I am pleased to let you know that we have matched our two previously unfilled positions in the Prince George track with great candidates. I would like to give them a warm welcome to our Program.
Thanks to all faculty and resident members of the Selections Committee who put in so much time and effort to help in this incredibly important endeavour. Our big appreciation also goes out to our administrative staff who have supported us and made the process a completely seamless one.
Warm regards,
Irfan
Dr. Irfan Khanbhai MD, FRCPC
Clinical Associate Professor
Director, Postgraduate Education Program
Interim Associate Head, PGE & CPD
UBC Department of Psychiatry
I humbly acknowledge, with gratitude, that I live, work, and play as an uninvited guest on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil- Waututh) Nations.
Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds | May 6 with Dr. Christoph Correll
All Department members across the province are invited to attend the UBC Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds. The next session will be held Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 8:30 am on Zoom. The session, Management of Schizophrenia 2025, is presented by Dr. Christoph Correll, MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Molecular Medicine, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine, and Professor of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Institute of Behavioral Science, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research.
A single registration link is available for all 2025 Grand Rounds:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
For additional information regarding the monthly UBC Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds please contact Kevin Elsaputra at kevin.elsaputra@vch.ca.
Add the 2025 Grand Rounds events to your calendar: Download calendar
- Click the “Download calendar” link above
- For Outlook users: Simply double-click the downloaded file to add the events. *Please note, the events may open as a new calendar -simply drag or copy them to your preferred calendar
- For other calendar apps: Open the file with your preferred calendar application
Previous Grand Rounds are now accessible on Canvas
Department of Psychiatry members with UBC CWL can self-enrol in the Grand Rounds Canvas course to view past recordings:
The VCH/PHC Regional Psychiatry Grand Rounds are now the UBC Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds and are accessible via Zoom to all Department members across the province. Grand Rounds are held the first Tuesday of every month (unless otherwise stated), from 8:30 am to 9:30 am.
The Grand Rounds are a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification program of The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Call for Self-Nominations – Necia Laura May Elvin Memorial Prize in Schizophrenia Research – Deadline May 9, 2025
** Sent on behalf of Dr. Sophia Frangou and the Research Day Organizing Committee **
Dear colleagues,
We are pleased to invite self-nominations for the Necia Laura May Elvin Memorial Prize in Schizophrenia Research. The award will be presented to the successful applicant at the Annual Departmental Research Day on June 5th, 2025.
This annual award recognizes a Doctoral trainee or Postdoctoral Fellow who has published an outstanding peer-reviewed paper relevant to schizophrenia. To be eligible, the paper must have been published or accepted for publication between June 2024 and May 2025 in a peer-reviewed journal. Please note that preprints and conference abstracts are not eligible for consideration.
If you meet the criteria and would like to be considered, please complete the self-nomination form and submit together with a pdf copy of your paper to Margaret Koshi (margaret.koshi@ubc.ca) by May 9th, 2025.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sophia Frangou
On behalf of the Organizing Committee
UBC’s campuses and learning sites are situated within the traditional territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil- Waututh) Nations and in the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation and their peoples.