Now in its 32nd year, Dalhousie University's Department of Psychiatry Research Day promotes student involvement in research and showcases the Department’s diverse expertise to our university and local communities.

Keynote speaker

Dr. Paul Kurdyak is a psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). He is also a Core Senior Scientist and Lead of the Mental Health and Addiction Program at Institute for Clinical Evaluative Science (ICES). He holds the position of Vice President (Clinical), Mental Health and Addictions at Ontario Health. He is Professor and Chair, Addictions and Mental Health Policy Research in the Department of Psychiatry and Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto.

Title: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Ontario’s Mental Health System: lessons learned and a way forward.

Abstract: We are only starting to learn about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with mental illnesses and addictions. This talk will provide an overview of what is known about how the pandemic changed service delivery and access to care, affected access to vaccines and outcomes associated with COVID-19, and how psychiatrists adapted to the new way of virtual care service delivery. While all provinces pivoted quickly to ensure there was a robust public health response to the pandemic, there was far less known about the mental health system in Ontario prior to the pandemic, which limited the ability to respond to changing demand for mental health services. A discussion on how we can improve our ability to integrate evidence into system planning will ultimately help to create a mental health system that does not currently exist.

Registration (no charge to attend): If you plan to attend Psychiatry Research Day, the deadline to register is October 14, 2022. See form at: https://dalpsychiatry.ca/static/rd-register-psychiatry