Congratulations to UBC Department of Psychiatry Professor and Associate Head, Dr. Sophia Frangou, who has been awarded the European Psychiatric Association’s (EPA) Constance Pascal – Helen Boyle Prize for 2025. The €10,000 prize recognizes the Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in Working to Improve Mental Health Care in Europe.
Dr. Frangou’s research uses advanced neuroimaging and bioinformatics methods to study brain-behaviour relationships and how they are influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Her work has greatly advanced the understanding of the pathophysiology of mood and psychotic disorders and made groundbreaking contributions to the characterization of brain mechanisms of “resilience”.
Join us in congratulating Dr. Frangou on this well-deserved award, which recognizes her exceptional contribution towards better mental health care in Europe.
**Shared on behalf of Dr. Jehannine (J9) Austin, Professor, UBC Department of Psychiatry, Head, UBC Department of Medical Genetics**
If you are a psychiatrist practicing or in training in British Columbia, we want your insight on how genetic testing for antidepressant prescription could be delivered to patients.
This study is funded by Genome British Columbia (BC) and will help us understand how pharmacogenomic testing (i.e., genetic testing that can provide information on how an individual may respond to certain medications) for depression can be effectively implemented in BC.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jehannine (J9) Austin Professor, UBC Department of Psychiatry Head, UBC Department of Medical Genetics
We respectfully acknowledge 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).
** Shared on behalf of Dr. Janel Casey & Dr. Trisha Chakrabarty, Co-Heads, Mood and Anxiety Program, UBC Department of Psychiatry**
Dear Department Members,
As part of the re-inaugurated Mood and Anxiety Program, we invite all interested faculty and trainees to participate in our Mood Disorders Challenging Case Rounds.
These rounds offer a collaborative space for clinicians and trainees to seek guidance on complex and challenging mood disorder cases. Participants may present a full case or a focused clinical query, receiving feedback from the core specialists of the UBC Mood Disorders Centre and attending departmental members.
For those unable to attend, there is an option to submit a written case summary or query for discussion, with a written summary of recommendations provided afterward. Department members are also welcome to join the rounds as observers.
Schedule & Case Submissions
📅 When: Every 4th Wednesday of the month, 12:00 – 1:00 pm (via Zoom) 📅 Upcoming dates: February 26, March 26, & April 23, 2025
If you’re interested in attending, presenting, or submitting a written query for any of the above dates, please email trisha.chakrabarty@ubc.ca.
We hope these rounds provide a valuable opportunity to leverage the department’s expertise in mood disorders to enhance patient care. We look forward to the discussions!
Sincerely,
Dr. Janel Casey & Dr. Trisha Chakrabarty Co-Heads, Mood and Anxiety Program UBC Department of Psychiatry
We respectfully acknowledge 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).
** Shared on Behalf of Dr. Andrea Tuka, Chair, EDIA Committee, UBC Department of Psychiatry **
Dear Colleagues,
First, we would like to congratulate Dr. Jehannine (J9) Austin, who has recently been appointed Head, UBC Department of Medical Genetics. With this appointment, they will be stepping down from their role as Academic Faculty Representative with the UBC Department of Psychiatry EDIA Committee, and we thank them for their enthusiastic work and meaningful contributions on the committee. With their departure, we are now seeking expressions of interest and nominations for a new Academic FacultyRepresentative.
The Department of Psychiatry’s Strategic Plan identifies the advancement of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism (EDIA) as a strategic priority. Our EDIA Committee unifies the previous faculty-level and resident REDI Committees, and includes representation from the graduate student and staff groups. The Committee’s mandate is to advise the Department Head on the specific opportunities and challenges facing the Department with regard to EDIA, and to develop an action plan which will promote a culture that values and supports the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism amongst Department faculty, staff and learners.
Eligibility:
Any Academic Faculty in the UBC Department of Psychiatry.
Expressions of interest can be submitted through self-nomination by individual faculty or submitted as nominations by colleagues.
Selection Process:
Individuals on the Committee are selected through a nomination/self-nomination process, and the Academic Faculty representative will be chosen in consideration of their personal experience, principles of EDIA, and relevant areas of expertise. Their willingness to serve on this critically important committee and their guidance and commitment to supporting the Department will further enhance our role in the advancement of EDIA.
How to Nominate:
Please send your name (or the name of the proposed nominee), along with a brief statement of interest (not to exceed 200 words), to Dr. Andrea Tuka (andrea.tuka@ubc.ca) by February 28th.
Thank you and we look forward to receiving your nominations.
Sincerely,
Dr. Andrea Tuka, CD, MD, FRCPC Clinical Associate Professor, UBC Department of Psychiatry Chair, EDIA Committee, UBC Department of Psychiatry
We respectfully acknowledge 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 Dr. Lakshmi Yatham, Head, UBC Department of Psychiatry, you are invited to a Retirement Tea Reception to be held in honour of Professor Dr. Kerry Jang. Please join us on Monday, March 31st in the DHCBH Lobby for light refreshments.
Date: Monday, March 31, 2025 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm Venue: Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health (DMCBH, 2215 Wesbrook Mall) Ground Floor Lobby, UBC Vancouver Campus
We would also like to acknowledge the retirements of Dr. Elton Ngan, Associate Professor, and Dr. Peter Reiner, Professor, who send their regrets.
Please ensure you RSVP by Monday, March 24, 2025 to be added to the guest list.
As you are aware, the UBC Department of Psychiatry has been implementing a restructuring process for Departmental Divisions. In 2023, as part of our 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, we appointed three new Division Heads, creating a total of six Divisions; and, last spring, we announced revised criteria, organizational functions and accountabilities, and processes for Programs under these Divisions. As we continue to work towards achieving our strategic goals, we are pleased to announce that ten specialized Programs have now been (re)established.
These Programs represent organizational units where members share common interests and expertise, while fostering collaborative leadership through Co-Heads across our distributed sites. This structure enhances professional development, identifies future leaders, and provides clear pathways for communication between Department members and executive leadership.
We are pleased to announce the following Programs and their respective Co-Heads:
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division:
Neurodevelopmental Disorders (Co-Heads: Dr. Katherine Edwards & TBD)
Geriatric Psychiatry Division:
Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (Co-Heads: Drs. Julius Elefante & Anyssa Shakeri)
Adult Psychiatry & Mental Health Service Division:
Social and Cultural Psychiatry (Co-Heads: Drs. Hiram Mok & Jaswant Guzder)
Psychotherapy (Co-Heads: Drs. John Ogrodniczuk & Jaeyun Yoo)
Department members are encouraged to participate in Programs aligned with their interests and expertise. Department members may join multiple Programs while designating one as their primary affiliation, allowing for collaboration across specialties while maintaining clear organizational alignment. Members interested in joining a Program are encouraged to reach out to the respective Co-Heads to learn more. To register for a program, please complete the PROGRAMS SIGN UP FORM.
If you have any questions regarding the Programs and the proposal process, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Raymond Lam at r.lam@ubc.ca.
We look forward to seeing these Programs enhance the Department’s academic mission through collaborative clinical care, education, and research initiatives.
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
Dr. Raymond Lam MD, FRCPC, FCAHS Professor and Associate Head, Graduate & UG Medical Education, UBC Department of Psychiatry
The UBC Department of Psychiatry Administration Office at the UBC Vancouver Campus 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).
A UBC memorial fund has been established to honour Dr. Au’s unwavering commitment to excellence in patient care and his passion for mentoring the next generation of psychiatrists. Please consider paying tribute to Dr. Au’s life and career by supporting residents at the UBC Department of Psychiatry
I am deeply saddened to announce the sudden and unexpected passing of Dr. Raymond Au on Tuesday December 17, 2024. As many of you know, Dr. Au was a highly respected psychiatrist at Richmond Hospital and a long-serving clinical faculty member in the UBC Department of Psychiatry since 2004.
Amongst his peers, Dr. Au was renowned for his extensive knowledge and expertise in evidence-based therapies to treat a wide range of mental health conditions. Dr. Au’s many patients benefitted from his attentive and truly compassionate approaches to mental health, and his care and concern for people meant he would often take on a huge amount of workload, providing much-needed coverage for psychiatry in the emergency department, as well as the Psychiatric Assessment Unit and the Richmond Mental Health Team.
Dr. Au was not only extremely hard-working but also passionate and deeply committed to his profession. As a testament to the quality of care he provided, Dr. Au was the recipient of a VCH People First Award in 2017 and a nominee for a 2023 RHPS Peer Recognition Award under the category of “Professionally Outstanding.” Over the last 20 years as a valued UBC Psychiatry member, Dr. Au routinely taught PGY-2s in Psychiatric Interviewing in the Emergency Room, and provided clinical supervision to countless residents. By all accounts, he was an excellent and enthusiastic instructor and his teaching evaluations were always exceedingly positive.
The passing of Dr. Au is a significant loss to the UBC Psychiatry Department, the mental health care team at Richmond Hospital, and the mental health community in the region and beyond. He was an outstanding clinician who will be remembered for his tireless dedication to his practice, and for his genuine care, warmth and generosity toward his many colleagues and friends, patients, mentees and students. On behalf of the UBC Department of Psychiatry, I send my sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of Dr. Au during this difficult time.
UPDATE:
A celebration of life has been planned for Dr. Raymond Au on January 4th. The family wishes to extend an invitation to psychiatrists, Department members, and friends of Dr. Au to attend.
Celebration of Life January 4, 2025, 10:00 am Fujian Evangelical Church 12200 Blundell Road Richmond, BC
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).
The Faculty of Medicine has launched the 2025 Canada Research Chair (CRC) Competition for up to four (4) Tier 1 and up to three (3) Tier 2 Canada Research Chairs in any field of research aligned with the Faculty of Medicine strategic plan, through a competition open to FoM Departments, Schools with Centres, and Institutes as partners.
As the UBC Department of Psychiatry is eligible to submit up to three proposals for internal or external Tier 1 and/or Tier 2 Chairs, we are inviting formal expressions of interest (EOIs) from eligible faculty members from federally designated groups, namely people with disabilities, Indigenous people, racialized people, women, and people from minoritized gender identity groups. Please note that only applicants belonging to any of these federally designated groups are eligible for this competition, and at least one Tier 1 Chair within the internal stream will be dedicated to retaining a researcher with a disability.
In addition to meeting the criteria outlined above, faculty must be full-time and tenure-stream to be eligible for an internal chair position. All other candidates, including partner track and clinical faculty, are welcome to submit an EOI and will be considered for an external chair proposal. Tier 1 Chairs are seven-year positions, renewable once, intended for exceptional researchers who are internationally recognized as leaders in their fields, while Tier 2 Chairs are five-year positions, renewable once, intended for exceptional emerging scholars who demonstrate the potential to lead in their fields. Full details can be found here.
Eligible faculty are asked to submit their formalexpressions of interest to Margaret Koshi (margaret.koshi@ubc.ca) by Monday,February 24, 2025. You must include:
A current curriculum vitae
A brief letter of interest describing your qualifications and research plans for a Tier 1 or Tier 2 Chair
A document describing how your area of research aligns with Department as well as Faculty of Medicine priorities as reflected in the strategic plans
Applications will undergo review and adjudication by a departmental Advisory Committee, in accordance with the Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP) guidelines for recruiting and nominating CRCs, and selection criteria will include strategic alignment with departmental priorities as identified in the current strategic plan.
Should you have any question regarding the 2025 CRC Competition, please feel free to reach out to margaret.koshi@ubc.ca.
Sincerely,
Dr. Lakshmi N. Yatham Professor and Head UBC Department of Psychiatry Director, Institute of Mental Health, UBC Regional Head and Program Medical Director, VCH/PHC
Dr. Sophia Frangou Professor and Associate Head, Research UBC Department of Psychiatry
The UBC Department of Psychiatry Administration Office at the UBC Vancouver Campus 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).
