NEW PUBLICATION: Study Examines Experiences of Stigmatization, Neglect and Pain Management in ER for People Who Use Substances

A new study published in PLOS One examines the experiences, including those related to stigmatization, neglect and pain management, of people who use substances and who have left the hospital against medical advice. The team of researchers, which includes Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Verena Langheimer, also examined the impact of their experiences in the Emergency Department on future health care use. While the study did not include healthcare providers’ feedback or the context under which the patient left the hospital, the team is hoping to understand more about the structural vulnerabilities that people who use substances face in the Emergency Department, in the hope this understanding will improve and inform care. 

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the call for applications for the UBC Institute of Mental Health (IMH) Marshall Fellows Program in Mental Health for 2023/2024. The Marshall Fellows Program in Mental Health was established in 2019 by the IMH to support the training of young investigators in translational research in order to create research capacity in mental health.

The IMH, in partnership with the Department of Psychiatry, is now inviting applications from qualified candidates for Fellowship awards, which will be supported by the Marshall Fellows Program in Mental Health. Please see the Application Guidelines for more detailed information regarding the requirements and criteria for this award. This year, in accordance with the original award funding plan, the program will fund stipends of $75,000 for up to six (6) Fellows. Since the Fellowship Program was originally developed to support the training of clinician scientist psychiatrists, a minimum of three (3) awards will be allocated to MDs.  The duration of funding is for one year only, however Fellows may have an opportunity to apply for a one-year extension of funding in the following year. Current Fellows in their first year of funding in 2022/2023 may apply for an extension in 2023/2024 for a second and final year of funding.

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, and I would like to ask that this information be circulated widely.

Applicants must submit their applications online at: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dapaPWNEA6wUsCi by Friday May 19, 2023 (11:59 pm PST).

If you have questions or require further information regarding these awards, please contact Vicky Yau, Director, Administration, at vicky.yau@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).

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 delighted to share the news that Ms. Eunice Yiu will be joining the UBC Psychiatry Administrative team as our new HR Assistant on February 13, 2023. Eunice brings to this role several years’ experience and a strong background in supporting administrative and HR-related processes. Most recently, she held the position of Senior Program Assistant in the UBC Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences where, among various other duties, she was responsible for the full cycle of student appointments, including re-appointments, transfers, costing allocation, and termination processes. Prior to this, she was a Human Resources Officer in Hong Kong, where she was responsible for supporting the full range of day-to-day HR functions and operations, including the implementation of Workday.

In her new role as HR Assistant for the Department, Eunice will be taking over the portfolio for Student/Staff/Volunteer HR processes currently supported by Ms. Leah Ranada. Leah, in turn, will be assuming the portfolio handling HR processes for Term Faculty Appointments, including Fellows and Research Associates, as well as Workday processes for Clinical Faculty. Eunice will be situated in the main Administration Office on the 2^nd Floor at UBC Hospital, Detwiller Pavilion (UBC Campus), and may be reached by email at eunicewy.yiu@ubc.ca. Please join me in warmly welcoming Eunice to the UBC Psychiatry Administration team!

Additionally, it is with mixed feelings that we announce that Mr. Colin Bryant will be retiring on January 31, 2023 after over 40 years of dedicated service to the UBC Department of Psychiatry. Colin first joined the Department in 1982, and in his role of Computer & Communications Systems Manager, has been responsible for managing UBC Psychiatry’s network and IT services, including overseeing our local area network (LAN) administration, delivering desktop support for a network of users across the Department, developing and implementing IT policies and procedures to ensure network stability and security, and leading the implementation of user, team, Department, Faculty-wide and UBC-wide initiatives and upgrades with regard to IT services. While we are thrilled for Colin and send our hearty congratulations as he settles into retirement, we will miss his friendly, amicable presence, and the amazing support he has provided to our faculty, staff and students over the years. Fortunately, Colin has graciously agreed to continue providing IT support to the Department in the interim on a part-time, contractual basis pending recruitment to fill his position. Please continue to send your IT requests to psychiatry.it@ubc.ca.

As well, we share that Ms. Shaelynn Perreault will be leaving her position as Executive Coordinator to the Department Head & IMH Director effective February 3, 2023, as she has made the decision to move back home to Ontario to be closer to her family. Shaelynn has been a member our core administrative team since Spring 2022, and in her role, has done a wonderful job providing scheduling support, event coordination and day-to-day administration on behalf of the Department Head and IMH Director, in addition to supporting the clinical and research activities of the UBC Mood Disorders Program.  While we are saddened to see Shaelynn go and will miss her enthusiasm and energy, we are very happy for her and wish her the very best in her future endeavours. 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, as the UBC Administration team will be monitoring this email and will be providing coverage of tasks related to this role for the time being.

Finally, we are bidding farewell to Ms. Richa Sharma, who has accepted a new position as an Accounts & Administration Coordinator in an external organization. Richa first joined the Department as a Senior Program Assistant in 2021, and has since done a great job in supporting Undergraduate Medical Education in Psychiatry for Year 3 and Year 4, coordinating scheduling for all Year 3 & 4 Psychiatry blocks and ensuring the successful day-to-day running of the program. We will miss Richa and all the positivity she brought to the team, however we are very excited for her as be embarks on this new career opportunity. As Richa’s final day will be February 10, 2023, we wish to warmly welcome Ms. Yuliia Zheldak from UBC Hiring Solutions, who will be providing temporary support to the Psychiatry Education Office as we recruit to fill this position on a permanent basis. Yuliia may be reached by email at uge.assistant@ubc.ca for any administrative matters related to UGE Year 3&4. 

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).