Congratulations to 2023 FoM Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients, Dr. Evelyn Stewart and Dr. Fidel Vila-Rodriguez!

Congratulations to 2023 FoM Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients, Dr. Evelyn Stewart and Dr. Fidel Vila-Rodriguez!

The Department congratulates Dr. Evelyn Stewart and Dr. Fidel Vila-Rodriguez, both of whom are recipients of a 2023 Faculty of Medicine Distinguished Achievement Award!

Professor Dr. Evelyn Stewart is the recipient of the Award for Service to the University and Community, in recognition of her significant contributions to local, national, and international communities aimed at improved health outcomes of the population.

Dr. Stewart is an internationally-recognized expert on pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders (OCRDs). As a leader in the field, she has provided valuable mentorship to young researchers and junior colleagues, has participated actively in departmental committees, and has served on numerous bodies for professional and scientific organizations in order to drive research and inform care in OCRDs. As well, her dedicated public outreach activities have been impactful in raising awareness and educating patients, their families and the broader community about OCRDs.

Assistant Professor Dr. Fidel Vila-Rodriguez is the recipient of the Award for Overall Excellence – Early Career, in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the areas of research, education, and service.

Since his appointment in 2016, Dr. Vila-Rodriguez has been a highly engaged and productive early-career academic in the UBC Department of Psychiatry. He currently leads the NINET Laboratory, which investigates clinical applications of non-invasive neurostimulation therapies for depression and other psychiatric disorders. In addition to his cutting-edge research, he contributes substantially to teaching on an annual basis, has supervised numerous graduate students and trainees over the years, and partakes in extensive service activities within the Department and the broader community.

Congratulations again to our deserving awardees on this wonderful recognition by the Faculty of Medicine!

The Online 2022/2023 Clinical Faculty Annual Report Form is Now Available!

*** Sent on behalf of the UBC Psychiatry HR Team ***

Dear Department Clinical Faculty Members,

The Online Clinical Faculty Annual Report Form for the period of July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023 has been released, so please set a reminder to complete and submit this before December 31, 2023:
https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0CWsbdt9euzYrpY

If you were appointed to the Department after July 1, 2022, you are not required to submit an Annual Report until Fall 2024. For all other clinical faculty, please note that yearly submission of the Annual Report is a condition of appointment for Clinical Faculty in the UBC Department of Psychiatry. The report is required to maintain your appointment, and will also factor heavily into decisions on reappointment and promotion. If you have any questions or require guidance on completing the Annual Report, please contact Leah Ranada, Assistant HR Manager, at leah.ranada@ubc.ca.

Clinical Faculty Promotions

For the upcoming Fall 2023 review cycle, the deadline for submitting your promotion application will be September 15, 2023. If you are interested in applying for promotion (effective July 1, 2024), please reach out to Leah Ranada at leah.ranada@ubc.ca for additional information and instructions.

Sincerely,

Your HR Team
Department of Psychiatry
University of British Columbia

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).

Announcement of Division Head Appointments

Dear Colleagues,

As the search and selection process has concluded for the three Division Head positions for each of the restructured Divisions in the UBC Department of Psychiatry, we are delighted to announce the following appointments:

  • Dr. Christian G. Schütz, Division Head for Substance Use & Concurrent Disorders: Dr. Schütz is a Professor (Partner) in the UBC Department of Psychiatry, as well as a researcher at UBC CHÉOS, BCMHSUS, VCHRI, and the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health. He leads the UBC B.R.A.I.N Lab, where his research team investigates the psycho-neurobiological mechanisms underlying substance use and concurrent mental disorders, as well as the development of novel clinical interventions. Dr. Schütz also serves as the Research Lead and Medical Manager at Red Fish Healing Centre for Mental Health and Addiction, and has contributed to various teams and working groups in the development of practice guidelines to address the public health crisis arising from substance misuse in BC and across Canada.
  • Dr. Randall F. White, Division Head for Adult Psychiatry & Mental Health Services: Dr. White is a Clinical Professor in the UBC Department of Psychiatry, and also serves as Medical Director for Vancouver Community Mental Health and Substance Use Services, and Clinical Director for the BC Psychosis Program at UBC Hospital. He has co-led implementation of an evidence-based pathway for treatment optimization of psychosis in Vancouver mental health programs.  In addition to his medical leadership roles, he contributes significantly to resident and medical student supervision each year, has developed CME for UBC CPD and Medscape.com, and serves as co-chair for the Annual Pacific Psychopharmacology Conference. Dr. White has received a VCH medical staff award for his work with advocacy organizations for people affected by severe mental illness.
  • Dr. Timothy Murphy, Division Head for Neuroscience & Translational Psychiatry: Dr. Murphy is a Professor in the UBC Department of Psychiatry and a foundational scientist whose research team is investigating cortical circuit-level changes in mouse models of mood disorders and also how mouse cortex adapts after stroke and the resultant remapping of brain function from damaged to surviving areas. He also leads collaborative efforts within UBC’s Dynamic Brain Circuits in Health and Disease Cluster, which involves a network of more than 40 investigators using complementary methods to address questions concerning brain circuit structure and function in health and disease. Dr. Murphy continues to supervise numerous graduate students, and is engaged in networking activities, such as co-leading Databinge, across the Department, DMCBH, and the broader neuroscience community.

In their new leadership roles, Dr. Schütz, Dr. White and Dr. Murphy will each be responsible for providing direction and oversight to their respective Divisions, and working collaboratively with their members to develop goals and implement long-range plans in order to support the strategic objectives of the Division, the Department and the UBC Faculty of Medicine.

Their specific responsibilities will include supporting their Divisions’ education goals to ensure standards and objectives are being met in UGE and PGE education, as well as working with the UBC Psychiatry CPD Director to support Division members in Continuing Professional Education opportunities.  With regard to research, the new Division Heads will each develop a divisional research plan and facilitate efforts to promote research activities and opportunities for Division members.  As well, they will participate on several departmental committees, support Division members in reappointment and promotion processes, galvanize and foster collaboration amongst members, and serve as a liaison between the Division and affiliated hospitals and research centres. Additionally, as the Department continues its divisional and program restructure process, the new Division Heads will be instrumental in developing refreshed criteria for all programs to be organized and administered under each Division. 

Please join us in congratulating and extending a warm welcome to our new Division Heads, each of whom has been appointed for a three-year term effective June 1, 2023. We look forward to working closely with Dr. Schütz, Dr. White and Dr. Murphy as they join our Departmental and Divisional leadership teams, and supporting them as they move into their respective new roles.

Sincerely,

Dr. Lakshmi N. Yatham, Professor and Head, UBC Department of Psychiatry 

Dr. Raymond W. Lam, Professor and Associate Head, 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).

UBC Department of Psychiatry Staffing Update | June 2023

Dear Department members,

I wish to share with you some important staffing updates and announcements regarding our UBC Department of Psychiatry Administration Office.

Firstly, I am thrilled to share the news that Ms. Leah Ranada has been promoted to the position of Assistant HR Manager. As you are all aware, Leah has been in the role of HR Assistant since July 2022, and during this time, demonstrated her resourcefulness, adaptability and competence in handling both varied and demanding tasks. I am confident that Leah will make a smooth transition as she assumes a higher level of responsibility in overseeing HR processes for all Department members, and will thrive in her new role as Assistant HR Manager!

As well, we wish to warmly welcome our new HR Assistant Ms. Dora Li who, as of June 12, has taken over Leah’s previous HR portfolio handling Workday processes for term faculty appointments. Dora brings several years of administrative and HR experience, having previously served as a recruitment specialist for an educational centre, as well as a human resources generalist for an educational consulting office. She will be situated in the main Administration Office on the 2nd Floor at UBC Hospital, Detwiller Pavilion (UBC Campus), and may be reached by email at dora.li@ubc.ca.

Additionally, as Ms. Amy Jeffrey recently left her position as the Fraser PGE Senior Program Assistant to pursue another opportunity, we are delighted to welcome Ms. Raquel Portillo, who has accepted this position in the Psychiatry Education team. Prior to joining Psychiatry, Raquel served as an administrative coordinator in the FoM Office of the Vice Dean, Education. As our new Fraser PGE Senior Program Assistant, she will be coordinating the master rotation schedule for the Fraser PGY2-5 Residents, coordinating evaluations, maintaining Resident attendance records, and providing administrative support to the Fraser Psychiatry Associate Program Director. As the point of contact for our Fraser Program, Raquel may be reached by email at raquel.portillo@ubc.ca.

Finally, on Friday June 16 we bid a fond farewell to our Project Manager Ms. Amit Natt, who has accepted a new position within Fraser Health. Amit has been a great help over the last few months, not only in coordinating the 2023 Vancouver Summer Program for Psychiatry, but also providing coverage for the position of Executive Coordinator for the Department Head, as our recruitment efforts continue for this vacancy. Upon Amit’s departure, we have brought onto the team Ms. Ally Wang from UBC Hiring Solutions, who will be providing temporary support as we recruit to fill these positions on a permanent basis. Ally may be reached by email at psychiatry.projects@ubc.ca for any matters related to the Vancouver Summer Program. For administrative matters related to the Head’s Office, please continue to use the psychiatry.asst@ubc.ca email, which is being monitored by Ally and the UBC Administration team.

Should you have any questions or would like further clarification regarding our new team members and their respective portfolios, please feel free to reach out to me at vicky.yau@ubc.ca.

Sincerely,

Vicky Yau
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).

Stimulus Grants NOW OPEN for New Applications | Zoom Information Sessions at Noon on July 7 & August 17

**Shared on behalf of Dr. Sophia Frangou, Associate Head, Research, UBC Department of Psychiatry**

Dear Colleagues,

The Stimulus Grants are now open for new applications. Please see our website for details: https://psychiatry.ubc.ca/research/stimulus-grants-initiative/.

Information Sessions:

On July 7th and August 17th, I will hold 45min Zoom meetings at 12:00pm noon, which are open to anyone interested in applying, aimed at answering any questions you may have about this initiative. The Zoom details for both meetings are: 

Dates: Friday July 7 @ 12pm & Thursday August 17 @12pm
Meeting ID: 485 566 3023; Passcode: 759801
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4855663023?pwd=a3Q4QkdtTWxMWHpPSXJnT0sxc2NXQT09

With best wishes,

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

For Response by June 30th | Volunteer Position for Region 1 Representative, Royal College Specialty Committee in Psychiatry

**Shared on behalf of Dr. Irfan Khanbhai, Program Director, UBC Psychiatry Postgraduate Education Program **

Good morning,

Please be advised that there will be a vacancy in the volunteer position of Region 1 (British Columbia, Alberta, and the Yukon) Representative on the Royal College Specialty Committee in Psychiatry as of July 1, 2023. We are seeking a new individual to fill this important national role. We invite those who would like to apply to forward a brief curriculum vitae (CV) in a reply to this email address by Friday, June 30th . Please feel free to forward this message to any colleagues you feel would be interested/suit the position. If we receive several nominees, the voting members of the specialty committee will review all applications and select an individual that will best balance and strengthen the current committee composition.

For your information, please view the job description for the regional representative role and the terms of reference for the specialty committees. All applicants must be Royal College Fellows in good standing and cannot be current program directors (past PDs welcome!).

The Royal College is committed to a workplace that encourages equity, diversity and inclusion.

We look forward to hearing from individuals interested in this very important role of standard setting for our discipline.

Sincerely,

Léon Tourian, MD, FRCPC
Chair (Incoming), Specialty Committee in Psychiatry
leon.tourian@mcgill.ca

Kim St. John, MD, FRCPC
Chair (Outgoing), Specialty Committee in Psychiatry
Kim.StJohn@easternhealth.ca

Many Thanks to All the Clinical Faculty Who Attended the Annual Dinner Yesterday Evening!

It was wonderful to welcome all of our clinical faculty members who attended the Annual Clinical Faculty Dinner last night! It was a very fun and relaxed evening, and a great opportunity to recognize and show appreciation for all our clinical faculty members and their many valuable contributions to the Department!

As well, the evening included an Awards Presentation to honour the following awardees of UBC Psychiatry Clinical Faculty Awards for excellence in teaching and research!

Translation Research into Clinical Excellence in Psychiatry Settings (TRICEPS) Award

  • Dr. Deidre Ryan
  • Dr. Robert Stowe

Undergraduate Psychiatry Clinical Teaching Award

  • Dr. Neil Hanon
  • Dr. Anna Wisniewska
  • Dr. Colleen Northcott
  • Dr. Constantine Lai
  • Dr. Kuljit Dhaliwal

UBC Psychiatry Residents Association Annual Award for Teaching Excellence

  • BCCH: Dr. Muffy Greenaway
  • VGH: Dr. Cameron Anderson
  • SPH: Dr. Julius Elefante
  • UBCH: Dr. Andrew Howard
  • RH: Dr. Michael Shabbits
  • RCH: Dr. Anyssa Shakeri
  • SMH: Dr. Lindsay Bishop
  • Victoria: Dr. Ashley Jewett
  • Prince George: Dr. Dmitri Zanozin
  • Community Psychiatry: Dr. Martina Smit

UBC Psychiatry Residents Association Annual Award for Teaching Excellence in Child and Adolescent Subspecialty Psychiatry

  • Dr. Fulroop Sidhu

UBC Psychiatry Residents Association Annual Award for Teaching Excellence in Geriatric Subspecialty Psychiatry

  • Dr. Michael Weitzner

UBC Psychiatry Residents Association Annual Award for Teaching Excellence in Forensic Subspecialty Psychiatry

  • Dr. Mandeep Saini

You can view all the 2023 Clinical Faculty photos HERE!  If you have additional photos of the event that you would like to add to the album, please send them to Margaret Koshi at margaret.koshi@ubc.ca.

A BIG Thank You to Everyone Who Joined in Our 2023 UBC Psychiatry Research Day!

We wish to thank everyone who attended our 2023 UBC Psychiatry Research Day yesterday, either in person or virtually, and also express our sincere gratitude to all of the outstanding poster and Lightning Talk presenters, and our speakers for their engaging presentations and hard work in helping to make our Research Day a success!

Additionally, we would like to thank everyone who presented in-person posters and electronic research posters for the virtual poster gallery.  The ePosters will remain accessible on our website, and recordings of the presentations will also be posted online soon.

Finally, we would like to congratulate once again the following awardees of our Research Day Awards, and UGE MD and Resident Awards, which were announced and presents yesterday:


Lightning Talk, Set A: Hallee Shearer | Movie-fMRI offers region-specific advantages as an acquisition state for precision psychiatry

Lightning Talk, Set B: Rebecca Zivanovic | Attitudes and Preferences regarding Contraception of Women with Serious Mental Illness

Zeldowicz Poster Award in Clinical Research: Triya Ramburn | Community gardens as psychosocial interventions for refugees and migrants: a narrative review

Zeldowicz Poster Award in Basic Science/Translational Research: Borna Atrchian | Minder for Younger Minds: Using Qualitative Focus Group Sessions to Adapt a Mental Health and Substance Use E-Intervention for Secondary School Students

Undergraduate Awards for Medical Students

Jay C. Cheng Memorial Prize: Jake Johnston

Kristin SIVERTZ Memorial Prize in Medicine: Mariam Manna

Annette E. Hacking Memorial Award in Medicine in Psychiatry: Mirna Hennawy

Andrew Neil McTaggart Memorial Prize in Psychiatry: Jenny Zhang

Dennis Harris Memorial Prize in Psychiatry: Lance Shaver

Postgraduate Education Awards  

George A. Davidson Scholarship Award: Allison Hudson & Maria Alexandra

CanMEDS Awards:

  • 1st place: Alexander Levit and Victor Li
  • 2nd place: Jordana Waserman and Quinten Clarke
  • 3rd place: Oshin Maheshwari
  • 4th place: Adeeb Malas and Max Liu
  • 5th place: Shikha Walia and Faizan Bhatia

Resident Undergraduate Teaching Awards

  • Vancouver Track: Tristan Willis
  • Fraser Track: Faizan Bhatia
  • Vancouver Island: Conor Zeer-Wanklyn
  • Prince George: Taylor Callander

Significant Contribution to Research: Laura Labonté

The Emily Ellingsen Prize for Significant Contribution to the UBC Psychiatry Residency Program: Alexander Levit

Significant Leadership: Isaac Rodin

Dr. William E. Piper Memorial Award in Psychotherapy: Connor Hawkins & Alexander Levit

2023 Necia Laura May Elvin Memorial Prize in Schizophrenia Research: Andrea Jones

Island Medical Program Emily Ellingsen Award: Darcy Good

Providence Health Care, Department of Psychiatry Awards

  • Dr. Brian Morris Memorial Award: Stefanie Montgomery
  • Dr. Maria Corral Award: Galilee Thompson
  • Dr. Robert Kitchen Memorial Award: Connor McLean

Dr. Megan Roberts Honorary Scholarship: Daniella Crocker & Jessica Chin

Thanks again to everyone who joined our 2023 UBC Psychiatry Research Day, and we hope to see you all again at next year’s event!

You can view all the 2023 Research Day photos HERE!  If you have additional photos of the event that you would like to add to the album, please send them to Margaret Koshi at margaret.koshi@ubc.ca.

Congratulations to Dr. Randall White, Recipient of the APA WCDB John D. Hackett Leadership Award!

Dr. Randall White (left) with past president of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Jack McIntyre

Congratulations to Clinical Professor Dr. Randall White, who has received the John D. Hackett Leadership Award from the Western Canada District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Named after the founding president of the Western Canada District Branch (WCDB), Dr. John Desmond Hackett, this award recognizes long-standing members who have made significant and outstanding contributions to the WCDB. Dr. White is the fifth recipient of this award since 2013, and it was presented to him at the WCDB Annual General Meeting in San Francisco on May 22, 2023.

A member of the APA since 1988, Dr. White has served in various prominent roles, including as a continuous member of the Executive Committee since 2017, as APA Assembly Representative, and as President of both the Vancouver Chapter and of the Western Canada District Branch. Notably, in 2021 he was elected as a Distinguished Fellow of the APA, the highest honour conferred by the APA upon its members, and became the sole recipient of this distinction for Western Canada.

Congratulations to Dr. White for being honoured once again by the APA!

FRAMES OF MIND Mental Health Film Series | Wednesday June 14 @ 7:00pm | The Cinematheque

Love in the Time of Fentanyl

Canada 2022
Director: Colin Askey
80min DCP
Wednesday June 14th @ 7:00pm, The Cinematheque (1131 Howe St)

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Film Description

A public health emergency around what came to be known as ​“the overdose crisis” was first declared in this province in April 2016—the same year the grass-roots Overdose Prevention Society began offering its harm reduction services. In the intervening seven years, a staggering 11,171 deaths in BC have been attributed to this ongoing crisis. Supporters of OPS are convinced this number would be much higher if not for their frontline efforts. Having moved from their first location, a tent, to their current space on East Hastings Street, OPS provides a safe, warm, non-judgmental drop-in where people can test their drugs, pick up clean needles, and inject in safety, as well as access other services. A veteran of ten years work in the DTES, Askey was known and trusted. Using a fly-on-the-wall observational approach, his film portrays the community members who work at OPS (most either current or former drug users) with the same clear-eyed compassion as those who use its services.

“Intimate and revealing—quietly but firmly humanizing drug use and the people who engage in it.” — Paloma Pacheco, POV Magazine

“Director Colin Askey doesn’t gloss over the frequently-grim reality of serious substance use disorders … but he insists on the humanity of drug users and the communities they call home.” — Kate Knibbs, Wired

Post-screening Discussion:

Post-screening discussion with Sara Blyth and Amy Evans. Moderated by Dr. Harry Karlinsky, Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia

About the Panel:

Sara Blyth is the executive director and co-founder of Vancouver’s Overdose Prevention Society and former Vancouver Park Board commissioner. She is a long-time community activist who has been working in the Downtown Eastside for over a decade providing grassroots services, opportunities, and responses to the overdose crisis.

Amy Evans is a manager at Vancouver’s Overdose Prevention Society with five years recovery. She found her passion doing harm reduction work in the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood.

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!