*** Sent on behalf of Dr. Clare Beasley and the Psychiatry Summer Immersion Program ***
Dear Faculty,
After two successful years, the Department of Psychiatry 4th annual Psychiatry Summer Immersion Program will take place Monday June 5 – Tuesday June 6, 2023. The 2-day program provides an opportunity for 1st Year undergraduate medical students to explore the field of psychiatry as a potential career option through engagement with psychiatrists and psychiatry residents. Each day consists of half-day interactive talks, and half-day clinical shadowing (observership) placements.
Talks
The purpose of the talks is for students to hear the about the broad range of subspecialties and career options within psychiatry. As a speaker, you will share your career path and provide insights into your subspecialty. Talks take place in the morning and are 35 minutes long with an additional 5 minutes for Q&A.
Shadowing
The purpose of shadowing is for students to meet and observe psychiatrists at work in a broad range of subspecialties and settings. Shadowing sessions take place in the afternoon and should last 2 to 3 hours.
Locations
Site
Talks location
Shadowing
Vancouver
Diamond Health Care Centre
within Metro Vancouver
Victoria*
Royal Jubilee Hospital
in Victoria
Kelowna*
n/a*
n/a*
Prince George*
University Hospital of Northern BC
in Prince George
*Insufficient student numbers to run the program at Kelowna this year. While it is anticipated that the program will be run in Prince George and Victoria, this is dependent on final student numbers.
Remuneration
Talks – $91.80/hour (pro-rated)
Shadowing Supervision – $91.80/session with 1 student; $112.21/session with 2 students
** Sent on behalf of Dr. Charles Ho, Competence By Design (CBD) Faculty Lead, Postgraduate Psychiatry Program **
Dear Faculty,
Please join us for an online webinar titled “CBD Psychiatry Workshop for PGY4 Supervisors – PGY4’s in the Core Stage”. The webinar’s goal is to help you prepare for and describe what you need to know for the Core Stage of training in CBD for the incoming PGY4 cohort.
This webinar is for all faculty, but particularly for those who will be supervising the incoming PGY4 residents.
CBD Psychiatry Workshop for PGY4 Supervisors – PGY4’s in Core Stage
Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Location: Zoom (Details to come)
Workshop Theme: This workshop focuses on the PGY4 Foundation stage of residency training. Discussion will include:
Core Stage Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA’s)
Competencies and Training Experiences required for PGY4 residents in the new model
Review on how to fill out an EPA on Entrada
Question & Answer Period
Please register through the link by Friday, April 28th:
Dr. Charles Ho, FRCPC Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Competence By Design (CBD) Faculty Lead, Psychiatry Postgraduate Education Program Chair and Member of the Scientific Planning Committee UBC Department of Psychiatry
The UBC Department of Psychiatry, located at the Vancouver UBC 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 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.
Clinical Assistant Professor and FoM Postgraduate Faculty Associate Co-Lead for Anti-Racism, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Dr. Leona Adams has shared an important statement on Accountability and Progression Towards Redressing Structural Anti-Black Racism, for your review and reflection:
So, as you see, there is still much to do. I return however to Dr. Ono’s exhortation as he closed his statement back in 2020: “to racialized students and colleagues at UBC: this is not the first time in history that you have experienced heightened stigmatization and racism. You are strong and resilient and will thrive in the face of this as you have done throughout history. Please don’t let racism cloud your spirit. Go and be the brilliant minds and compassionate hearts that you are, and continue to shine at UBC. You belong here.”
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.
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).
2020-2023 Annual Resident Publication and Presentation Record
A new (2022-23) Qualtrics form has been added the department website to enable residents to easily report their annual publications and presentations. As part of the Accreditation Standards, the Program is required to collect all resident publication and presentation records annually. Please note that these records are also used to help inform decisions about annual resident research awards. Access the form via: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1G5W1J8YzRmJUhw
2023 Research and Scholarly Activity Committee Meeting Dates
A reminder that the dates of the committee’s quarterly meetings through 2023 are as follows:
February 23rd 2023 (submission deadline Feb 16th)
April 27th 2023 (submission deadline Apr 20th)
September 14th 2023 (submission deadline Sept 7th)
November 16th 2023 (submission deadline Nov 9th)
**Please note that the committee requires submissions of abstracts/final reports to be made one week in advance of the meeting to enable a thorough review of all the documents, thank you.
Resident-Faculty Connection Corner
We have a resident seeking a co-supervisor for their project. The resident has already initiated their project, a narrative review of community gardens as psychosocial interventions for refugees and migrants. They have one supervisor (a psychiatrist from the Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry at McGill) but require a co-supervisor based in our department. Please contact Erin Michalak (erin.michalak@ubc.ca) by email if you would like to be connected with them to learn more.
General Information
You can find copies of all relevant documentation relating to scholarly activity on the department website here: https://psychiatry.ubc.ca/education-programs/postgraduate-education-scholarly-activity/scholarlyactivity-project/
If you have questions or need support relating to scholarly activity please contact Dr. Erin Michalak, Associate Program Director, Research and Scholarly Activity, via erin.michalak@ubc.ca or contact your regional committee lead directly.
The Research and Scholarly Activity Committee is responsible for ensuring that our department’s residency program meets Royal College training objectives for research and scholarly activity. Specific responsibilities include the identification, development, enhancement, promotion, monitoring and evaluation of resident scholarly activity projects, and ensuring that objectives relating to research and scholarly activity are integrated throughout our educational program. The committee meets quarterly, at which time resident submissions of their project abstract submissions and final scholarly activity reports are reviewed.
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 theportfolio 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 2nd 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).
The Faculty of Medicine held its annual Awards Reception on Monday January 16, where our faculty members Dr. Raymond Lam, Dr. Arvind Kang and Dr. Carol Ward were presented with plaques for their respective Faculty awards recognizing excellence in the areas of research, teaching and CPD in 2022.
Other Department members recognized at the event were Dr. Lindsay Bishop, Dr. Paul Dagg, Dr. Caroline Gosselin, Dr. Kam Keramatian, Dr. Mahesh Menon, Mr. Caden Poh, Dr. Ivan Torres, Dr. Randall White, and Dr. Lakshmi Yatham, each of whom received significant UBC awards or external accolades in 2021/2022.
Dr. Kulwant Riar is a Clinical Professor in the UBC Department of Psychiatry, and was appointed as the Program Director for Postgraduate Forensic Psychiatry Subspecialty in 2021. In this role, he has been responsible for the overall delivery of the program, ensuring that it continues to fully meet the RCPSC standards of accreditation. His duties have also included overseeing the successful implementation of the Competence By Design (CBD) curriculum in the Forensic Subspecialty Program as of July 1, 2021.
A Department member since 1995, Dr. Riar is also the Provincial Clinical Director for Youth Forensic Psychiatric Services (YFPS). Prior to this role, he served as the Regional Clinical Director for YFPS. Dr. Riar has spent over three decades working in the criminal and civil forensic field, and maintains an active practice with the Broadway Forensic Group, Vancouver General Hospital, and the BC Centre for Sexual Medicine.
Clinical Focus
Dr. Riar’s clinical focus and expertise lie in adult and juvenile forensic psychiatry, particularly youths who commit violent and sexual crimes. With assistance from federal funding, he designed and set up a social intervention treatment program dealing with young violent offenders in BC.
Dr. Roberto Sassi is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Associate Professor (Partner), Head of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the UBC Department of Psychiatry, and Psychiatrist-in-Chief at BC Children’s and Women’s Hospitals.
He graduated from medical school at the University of São Paulo, Brazil in 1996. Dr. Sassi completed his residency training in adult psychiatry at the University of São Paulo as well as at the Massachusetts General Hospital / McLean Hospital, Harvard University, in both adult and child & adolescent psychiatry
Dr. Sassi has a PhD degree from the University of Sao Paulo, with a postdoctoral fellowship in neuroimaging at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh, where he worked on magnetic resonance imaging investigations on bipolar disorder. Prior to joining UBC, Dr. Sassi held faculty appointments at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, FL and at McMaster University, in Hamilton, ON.
Research Focus
Dr. Sassi’s clinical research interests include (1) understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of bipolar disorders in children, adolescents and young adults, including among children at high-risk to develop severe mood disorders, and potential early interventions in this population; (2) the multigenerational transmission of risk for psychopathology, with focus on the interplay of genetic and environmental factors, and (3) implementing measurement-based care in child and youth mental health.
Clinical Focus
Dr. Sassi’s clinical focus is on children, adolescents and young adults with mood disorders.
