Map of Health Authorities in British Columbia (source)
Departmental Sites
Clinical services, psychiatric training, and research are distributed in the five sites of the UBC Department of Psychiatry located within each of the health authorities of British Columbia. The administrative centre of the Department is located within the UBC Vancouver Campus.
At Fraser Health, Dr. Anson Koo is the Regional Department Head and Program Medical Director for Mental Health and Psychiatry.
At Interior Health, Dr. Paul Carey is the Regional Department Head and Medical Director for Mental Health and Psychiatry.
At Northern Health, Dr. Barbara Kane the Regional Department Head and Medical Director for Mental Health and Substance Use Services.
At Vancouver Coastal Health, Dr. Lakshmi Yatham, who is the UBC Psychiatry Department Head, is the Medical Director for Mental Health and Substance Use Services.
At Vancouver Island Health, Dr. Wei-Yi Song is the Regional Department Head and Executive Medical Director, of the Mental Health and Substance Use Services and the Mental Health Services for Children and Youth and Seniors.
Departmental Divisions
Across sites, the UBC Department of Psychiatry is organized into 6 Divisions, each including specialist research groups and clinical programs:
Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Division Head: Dr. Roberto Sassi
The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is located mainly at BC Children’s Hospital and is the specialized provincial referral centre for tertiary and specialized mental health and addiction services delivered through sub-specialty outpatient clinics and four inpatient programs. It provides training to students and residents in paediatrics and psychiatry at UBC which includes a two-year CAP Subspecialty Residency Training Program. The Division has an active research program and also includes the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab and the Naturalistic Imaging Lab. The Division also accepts Clinical and Postgraduate Fellows – for further information please contact Dr. Natasha Gandham, MD, FRCPC
Division of Forensic Psychiatry
Division Head: Dr. Emlene Murphy
The Division of Forensic Psychiatry offers educational placements in the subspecialty of forensic psychiatry through a one-year Forensic Subspecialty Residency Training Program. The Division also offers multiple research opportunities including the Nicholls Lab. The clinical services of the Division comprise inpatient and outpatient services for Adults and Youth and training in civil forensic psychiatry at private practice locations. Additionally, correctional psychiatry is provided in federal correctional facilities and in provincial correctional centres.
Division of Geriatric Psychiatry
Division Head: Dr. Ashok Krishnamoorthy
The Division of Geriatric Psychiatry provides education in the subspecialty of Geriatric Psychiatry for medical students and residents. This includes a two-year Geriatric Subspecialty Residency Training Program and fellowship opportunities for international medical graduates with funding. The Division also supports research and knowledge translation to further the quality of care for older adults in British Columbia. The clinical services of the Division comprise dedicated inpatient work and consultation in medical settings, ambulatory care in outpatient clinics and day hospitals, and outreach visits at patients’ places of residence.
Division of Adult Psychiatry and Mental Health Services
Division Head: Dr. Randall White
The Division of Adult Psychiatry and Mental Health Services is committed to training students and residents in a wide range of psychiatric disorders and mental health conditions in adults. The specialist programs within the Division include Consultation Liaison Psychiatry, Emergency Psychiatry, Cross-Cultural, Hospital and Community Psychiatry, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Neuropsychiatry, Psychotherapy, Reproductive Mental Health and Sexual Medicine.
Division of Substance Use and Concurrent Disorders
Division Head: Dr. Christian Schütz
The Division of Substance Use and Concurrent Disorders leads the development of exemplary clinical services for individuals with problematic substance use and concurrent disorders, provides high-quality multidisciplinary education and training at undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, and continuing education levels, and promotes integrated research and scholarly work in the areas of addiction and concurrent disorders. It includes the Brain Lab and partners with the BC Centre for Substance Use and the BC Mental Health and Addictions Institute.
Division of Neuroscience and Translational Psychiatry
Division Head: Dr. Timothy Murphy
The Division of Neuroscience and Translational Psychiatry includes all the Basic Neuroscience and most of the Clinical Research Groups, CREST-BD and the specialist Mood Disorder Program and Clinic. Members of the Division conduct basic and translational research integrated with clinical studies directed at improving the biological understanding of mental disorders and the development and evaluation of therapeutic interventions. The Division is also committed to supporting the dissemination of new knowledge for the improvement of clinical care and to training the next generation of clinician scientists.