Thursday June 5, 2025
We are pleased to announce that our 2025 UBC Psychiatry Research Day will be held on Thursday June 5 at UBC Life Sciences Centre!
SAVE THE DATE
Date: Thursday June 5, 2025, 8:45 am to 4:30 pm
Location: UBC LSC, 2350 Health Sciences Mall
Rooms: West Atrium & Lecture Theatre 1
Format: In person & Zoom
The UBC Department of Psychiatry Research Day serves as an annual forum for showcasing novel research, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and translating scientific discoveries into clinical practice. It brings together faculty, trainees, and clinicians to explore advances in psychiatric neuroscience, clinical interventions, and mental health policy. The event features a diverse range of presentations, including lectures, trainee-led research talks, and poster presentations highlighting both fundamental and applied research.
Those who are in remote locations and/or are not able to join in person may attend all presentations virtually via Zoom. Stay tuned for registration details. To attend virtually, please follow the instructions below:
Step 1: Open https://ubc.zoom.us/ and click on ‘Join a Meeting’.
Step 2: Enter the Zoom Meeting ID 93165 575506 then click ‘Join.’
Step 3: If you have the Zoom client click ‘Open Zoom Meetings,’ otherwise, click ‘join from your browser.’
Step 4: Enter Passcode 575506 then click ‘Join Meeting.’
EVENT SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Annual Departmental Research Day
Thursday June 5, 2025
8.00am – 9.00am
Attendees arriving at in-person venue Attendee sign-in on Zoom
9.00am – 9.05am
Opening Remarks
9.05am – 9.15am
State of the Department Address
9.15am – 10.15am
Plenary Lecture: Management of Metabolic Health in Mental Illness: Challenges and Opportunities in the Age of GLP1 Agonists
Dr. Mahavir Agarwal
University of Toronto
10.15am – 11.00am
Break | Poster viewing
11.00am – 12.00pm
Lightning Talks: Set A
12.00pm – 2.00pm
Lunch & poster viewing with voting
2.00pm – 3.00pm
Lightning Talks: Set B
3.00pm – 3.30pm
Faculty Lecture 1: Can cognitive remediation help improve outcomes in schizophrenia spectrum disorders? Results from the BC CRT pilot project
Dr. Mahesh Menon
3.30pm – 4.00pm
Faculty Lecture 2: Innovative solutions for the management of opioid use disorder in the fentanyl era
Dr. Pouya Azar
4.00pm – 4.30pm
Awards and Closing Remarks
Meet our speakers
Dr. Mahavir Agarwal, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Dr. Agarwal is an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto and scientist and psychiatrist in the Schizophrenia Division at the Centre for Addiction at Mental Health (CAMH). With expertise in neuroimaging, cognitive assessments, and glucose metabolism measures, Dr. Agarwal has received several prestigious fellowships, including the Discovery Fund and Hughes Postdoctoral Fellowships. His research explores antipsychotic-induced insulin resistance and novel treatments for cognitive and metabolic dysfunction in severe mental illness.
Dr. Mahesh Menon, PhD
Dr. Menon is a clinical associate professor in the UBC Department of Psychiatry and a psychologist with Vancouver Coastal Health. He completed his PhD in psychology at the University of Cambridge and his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Dr. Menon’s research interests include cognitive and neural correlates of delusions and hallucinations, as well as psychotherapy and psychosocial interventions for psychosis and severe mental illness.
Dr. Pouya Azar, MD, FRCPC, DABAM
Dr. Azar leads the Complex Pain and Addiction Service (CPAS) at Vancouver Coastal Health and serves as Addiction Lead at Foundry Vancouver Granville and is also based at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. His research focuses on advancing opioid treatments and improving outcomes for mental health and substance use disorders.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS | Submit by March 31
Submission Guidelines:
We invite faculty, residents, fellows, students and trainees who wish to present their work on Research Day to submit their abstracts using the ONLINE ABSTRACT SUBMISSION FORM by Monday, March 31, 2025 (11:59 pm).
Abstract Requirements:
- A descriptive title
- All authors and their affiliated institutions
- Funding source (if applicable)
- Must include the following elements: Research Objectives, Methods, Results, Conclusions
- The body of your abstract must NOT exceed 300 words
ePOSTERS | Submit by April 30
Submission Guidelines:
Everyone who has submitted an abstract will be eligible to present a ePoster on our Online ePoster Gallery (unless otherwise notified). Please submit your ePoster in Powerpoint format by Wednesday, April 30, 2025 (11:59 pm) using the ePOSTER SUBMISSION FORM.
ePoster Requirements:
- Must be submitted as a PowerPoint document.
- Feel free to use the UBC poster templates: ePoster – Horizontal / ePoster – Vertical.
- If you are adding an audio file, it should not exceed 2 minutes; also, ensurea Sound icon is clearly visible.
- For instructions on how to add audio to your ePoster in Powerpoint, click here.
- Submit your ePoster as a single PowerPoint file by Wednesday, April 30, 2025 (11:59 pm).
IN-PERSON POSTERS | Confirm by May 15
Everyone who has submitted an abstract will be eligible to present an in-person poster, in addition to the ePoster on our Online ePoster Gallery (unless otherwise notified).
Guidelines for In-Person Posters:
- To be eligible, you must attend Research Day in person (don’t forget to register!)
- All arrangements for producing the physical poster, including printing costs, will be the responsibility of the Presenter and/or Supervisor.
- Please prepare a poster that will fit within the dimensions of a standard poster board (UBC horizontal poster template is 48 inches x 36 inches)
- Please ensure that you arrive at UBC Life Sciences Centre (2350 Health Sciences Mall) by 8:30 am on Thursday June 5th to hang up your poster on your assigned poster board.
- During the Poster Viewing periods during the Morning Break (10:30-11:00am) and the Lunch Break (12:00-2:00pm), please reserve some time to stand by and interact with visitors viewing your poster.
- Poster presenters are required to take down their own posters at the end of the poster viewing session.
Timeline to Research Day
March 31:
Abstract Submission Deadline
APRIL 1 – 30:
Abstract Review & Lightning Talk / In-person Poster Selections
April 30:
ePoster Submission Deadline
April 1 – May 23:
Attendee Registration Open
May
