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Dear Colleagues,

It is with profound sadness that I share the news that Professor Emeritus Dr. Juhn Wada passed away at his home on Saturday April 22, 2023 at the age of 99. To his many colleagues at UBC and beyond, Dr. Wada was a visionary in the neurological sciences whose decades of seminal research in epilepsy established pioneering diagnostic approaches that have transformed the field. I myself recall learning of Dr. Wada’s contributions, including the “Wada Test,” as a medical student and later as a psychiatry resident, which speaks to the renown he had attained internationally. I join his many friends and peers around the world who are receiving this news with a deep sense of loss, and it goes without saying that we will all miss him tremendously.

Born in Tokyo in 1924, Dr. Wada embarked on his long and exemplary career at the Hokkaido Imperial University (HIU) in Sapporo, Japan, where he graduated with a degree in medicine in 1946 and completed postgraduate training in clinical neurophysiology in 1951. In 1953, he was appointed as an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at NIU, and during this period he established a brain surgical unit for which he served as Chief for several years. Following two research fellowships at the University of Minnesota and the Montreal Neurological Institute, Dr. Wada was recruited to join the academic faculty of the UBC Department of Psychiatry in 1961 and in the same year, he became a citizen of Canada.

It was here at UBC that his research flourished, and for over half a century, Dr. Wada led a dynamic and leading-edge program in epilepsy research, integrating animal investigations and clinical research approaches to unravel the mechanisms of human epilepsy, with the aim of developing more effective treatment modalities for this condition. His many academic contributions include over 300 peer-reviewed papers in the areas of neurology and epilepsy, the publication of 11 medical books, and countless hours dedicated to the training and supervision of medical students, residents and fellows. Notably, the neuroimaging/neuropsychological evaluation tool he developed for assessing cerebral hemispheric dominance of language function, known as the “Wada Test” I had referred to earlier, continues to be the gold standard for establishing cerebral dominance and is conducted worldwide prior to epilepsy surgery.

In addition to his academic pursuits, Dr. Wada was an attending neurologist at VGH and UBC Hospital for over two decades, also establishing UBC Hospital’s first EEG and Seizure Investigation Unit, for which he served as Director for nearly 15 years, as well as its Epilepsy Surgical program. Further to these activities, his service to his profession included prominent roles such as founding President of the Canadian League Against Epilepsy, President of the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society and President of the American Epilepsy Society.  His career highlights also included a long list of prestigious awards, including the Herbert Jasper Award, the William G. Lennox Award and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the International League Against Epilepsy and the International Bureau for Epilepsy.  As well, in apt recognition of his life’s work and distinguished achievements, Dr. Wada was the recipient of the highest honours of both Canada and Japan, namely induction as an Officer of the Order of Canada (OC) in 1992, conferral to the Order of the Sacred Treasure from the Emperor and Empress of Japan in 1996, and the awarding of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

While Dr. Wada “retired” from his academic and clinical activities in 1994, at this time he was far from ready to wind down his activities or bid farewell to academia. He remained active in the Department as a post-retirement appointee, and with an ongoing drive and passion for his work, he continued to publish research and engage in scholarly discourse up until very recently. For many who had the pleasure of his friendship and collegiality over the years, Dr. Wada will be remembered not only as a brilliant scientist but also a man of genuine kindness, integrity and humility. While we celebrate his very long and remarkable life, we recognize the passing of Dr. Wada to be an immense loss to the Department, UBC and our broader psychiatry and neurology communities.

On behalf of the UBC Department of Psychiatry, I send my heartfelt condolences to the Wada family, and to our colleague Dr. Brenda Kosaka, alongside whom he worked very closely for over four decades.

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).

Congratulations to Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Kamyar Keramatian, who has received a Health Professional-Investigator (HP-I) Award from Michael Smith Health Research BC!

Dr. Keramatian is an adolescent and adult psychiatrist who currently serves as the co-medical manager of the UBC Mood Disorders Center and the physician lead for the Coastal Early Psychosis Intervention (EPI) Program. His research team, which includes people living with bipolar disorders (BD), have developed a virtual group-based educational program for youth at high risk for BD. This award will support Dr. Keramatian’s study exploring the feasibility of implementing this program across BC to increase knowledge of BD, reduce self-stigma, improve help-seeking and enhance resilience in adolescents and young adults who are at high risk of developing BD. This program also aims to help young people with BD to be identified earlier in order to receive more timely care.

Affecting about 2 percent of people in BC, BD can cause individuals to experience extreme changes in their mood, as well as their energy and ability to function. These changes, however, are frequently underreported and unrecognized, especially in youth, which can delay the diagnosis and treatment of BD by several years. By facilitating early identification and treatment of BD in youth, Dr. Keramatian’s research can potentially reduce health-care costs and lead to more efficient access to care and service delivery for youth with BD across BC.

*** Sent on behalf of Dr. Sophia Frangou, Professor and Associate Head, Research, UBC Department of Psychiatry ***

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 1, 2022-April 30, 2023) 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 1, 2023.

Sincerely,

Dr. Sophia Frangou, MD, Ph.D., FRCPsych, FRCPC
President’s Excellence Chair in Brain Health
Associate Head – Research
Professor of Psychiatry

Dear Faculty, Staff, Students and Residents,

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the inaugural Stimulus Grants.

The Stimulus Grants Initiative was launched by the UBC Department of Psychiatry, in partnership with the UBC Institute of Mental Health (UBC IMH) and BC Children’s Hospital, with the aim to increase research capacity and support for clinicians, residents and junior academics seeking to initiate pilot or small, self-contained studies in their areas of interest in mental health. The applications were assessed by members of an international scientific advisory board, constituted by the Department. All applications were of high quality and we want to commend ALL applicants for their efforts in putting together excellent applications. 

The following applicants were awarded a Stimulus Grant:

Stimulus-Clinician Grant

Dr. Michael Song, PGY1 Resident: Epigenetic markers for adverse childhood experiences among complex concurrent psychiatric disorders: a pilot study

Stimulus-Junior Academic Grant

Dr. Heather Palis, Postdoctoral Fellow: Examining ten-year trends of ADHD diagnosis and treatment in British Columbia among people with concurrent substance use disorders and history of incarceration

Stimulus-Child and Youth Mental Health Grant

Dr. Clara Westwell-Roper, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Subspecialty Resident: Longitudinal variation in markers of stress and inflammation in youth with obsessive-compulsive disorder and their parents participating in group family-based cognitive behavioural therapy

Dr. Ruiyang Ge, Research Associate: Individual-Level Deviations from Normative Neuroanatomical Models in Youth with Mood Disorders

We thank each and every applicant who submitted a proposal and we offer our warm congratulations to the successful applicants.

We encourage all eligible faculty and residents to consider submitting a proposal for the next cycle of the Stimulus Grants competition. Proposals will be accepted from June 1^st 2023 to October 1^st 2023. Details can be found at https://psychiatry.ubc.ca/research/research-support-hub/grant-support-grant-writing-grant-funding-and-grant-application-process/stimulus-grants-initiative/.

In addition, two Stimulus Grant Information Sessions will be hosted by Dr. Frangou during the summer, and are open to anyone interested in submitting an application. Please stay tuned, as more details regarding these sessions will be announced in the coming weeks.

On behalf of the UBC Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health and BC Children’s Hospital, we wish much success to each of our 2022/2023 Stimulus Grant recipients as they pursue their respective projects, and we look forward to sharing with you updates regarding their progress in the near future.

Sincerely,

Dr. Lakshmi N. Yatham, Professor and Head, UBC Department of Psychiatry
Dr. Sophia Frangou, Professor and Associate Head, UBC Department of Psychiatry
Dr. Roberto Sassi, Psychiatrist in Chief, BCCH and Associate Professor (Partner) & CAP Division 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).

Google’s Project Zero team discovered multiple security flaws with Samsung Galaxy and other smartphones that could allow hackers to target devices easily. All a hacker would need is the victim’s phone number, which can be used to compromise the phone without the user knowing anything is wrong. Samsung is aware of the issue and is currently working on a fix. However, until a solution is found, Google says users can protect themselves by turning off Wi-Fi calling in their device settings.

The devices affected are:

• The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, with the S-Pen. HAVEN DALEY/AP
• Samsung Galaxy phones, including those in the S22, M33, M13, M12, A71, A53, A33, A21, A13, A12 and A04 series
• Vivo phones, including those in the S16, S15, S6, X70, X60 and X30 series
• Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7 and 7 Pro
• Any wearables that use the Exynos W920 chipset
• Any vehicles that use the Exynos Auto T5123 chipset