—Ottawa, ON, September 17, 2017—

Last night the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA) recognized exceptional psychiatrists, psychiatric residents and individuals for their contributions to the mental health of Canadians.

Dr. Bruce Ballon from Toronto, Ontario, was awarded the CPA C.A. Roberts Award for Clinical Leadership for his outstanding contributions to improving patient care. He was honoured for his dedication to developing innovative programs that have not only helped patients, but also paved the way for new psychiatric treatments.

Dr. Glenda MacQueen from Calgary, Alberta, received the CPA J.M. Cleghorn Award for Excellence and Leadership in Clinical Research in recognition of her major contributions in neurobiological and treatment studies of depression and bipolar disorder. The award not only recognized the excellence of her research, but also the leadership role she has played in knowledge translation and health administration, as well as advancing the next generation of psychiatric researchers.

Dr. Bruce Ballon from Toronto, Ontario, was recognized with the CPA Paul Patterson Innovation in Education Leadership Award for his creativity and innovation when educating patients, families and other members of the public. He was praised for his work on advancing the use of simulation for mental health education and developing the next generation of simulationists.

Dr. Mark Sinyor from Toronto, Ontario, was awarded the inaugural Early Career Achievement in Psychiatry Award for the exemplary work that he has accomplished early in his career in the domains of clinical practice, research, education and advocacy. His research and progressive work on suicide epidemiology and prevention has made him a leader in the field, and in turn, an advocate for suicide prevention programs for Canada’s youth. He was also recognized for his commitment and dedication to teaching future psychiatrists.

R.O. Jones Awards for Best Papers
Dr. Stefan Kloiber, Dr. Danilo de Jesus, Ms. Saima Awan, Dr. Robert Levitan, Dr. Peter Voore and Dr. Z. Jeff Daskalakis received 1st Place, for their paper, Integrated Care Pathway for Major Depressive Disorder at CAMH: Challenging Treatment-Resistant Depression.

Ms. Valeria Testa, Ms. Sarah MacLean, Ms. Lorraine Downey, Mr. Frank McGregor, Ms. Livia Chyurlia, Mr. Joe Micucci and Dr. Simon Hatcher received 2nd Place for their paper, Laying the Foundation for Change: An Analysis of a Survey of Paramedic Mental Health in Ottawa.

Dr. Simone Vigod, Dr. Cindy-Lee Dennis and Dr. Hilary Brown received 3rd Place for their paper, A Population-Based Cohort Study of Rapid Repeat Pregnancy Among Women With Schizophrenia.

2017 CPA Annual Conference Best Research Poster Awards
Dr. Krista Lanctot, Mr. Parco Chan, Dr. Ivonne Suridjan, Ms. Dana Mohammad, Dr. Graham Mazereeuw and Dr. Nathan Herrmann received 1st place, for his poster, Model Comprising 10 Phospholipids Distinguishes Coronary Artery Disease Patients With Depressive Symptoms From Those Without.

Ms. Chelsea Sherman, Ms. Myuri Ruthirakuhan, Ms. Eleenor Abraham, Dr. Nathan Herrmann and Dr. Krista Lanctot received 2nd place, for their poster, Baseline Predictors of Nutritional Status in Patients With Moderate to Severe Alzheimer’s Disease.

Dr. Elyse Ross, Dr. Rebecca Barnett, Dr. Rebecca Tudhope, Mr. Matthew Renaud, Ms. Jennifer Zhang, Ms. Stephanie Fong, Mr. Michael Wodzinski and Dr. Kamini Vasudev received 3rd place, for their poster, Can We Improve Physical Health Monitoring for Patients Taking Antipsychotics on a Mental Health Inpatient Unit?

2017 CPA Annual Conference Best Early Investigator Poster Awards
Dr. Melissa Lee, Dr. Ronald Leung and Dr. Reha Kumar received 1st place, for their poster, Psychiatric Outcomes in Transgender Persons After Cross-Sex Hormone Therapy or Gender-Affirming Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Dr. Maykel F. Ghabrash, Dr. Cynthia El Hage, Dr. Simon Dubreucq, Dr. Clairélaine Ouellet-Plamondon, Dr. Suzanne Brissette, Dr. Paul Lespérance, Dr. Julie Bruneau, Dr. François Lespérance and Dr. Didier Jutras-Aswad received 2nd place, for their poster, Tolerability and Efficiency of Desvenlafaxine in Methadone-Maintained Patients with Major Depressive Disorder.

Dr. Jennifer Brasch, Mr. Anish Arora and Mr. Harman Sandhu received 3rd place, for their poster, Mental Health Stigma in the McMaster Community (MHS-MC): A Look at the Stigmatic Attitudes of Undergraduates, Medical Students, Residents in Psychiatry and Psychiatrists.

Fellows and Distinguished Fellows of the CPA
On Friday evening, at its Annual General Meeting, the honour of Fellow of the CPA was bestowed upon CPA member psychiatrists: Dr. Gary Altman, Dr. Jennifer Brasch, Dr. Kenneth Fung, Dr. Clare Gray, Dr. Jacqueline Kinley, Dr. Paul Kurdyak, Dr. Glendon Tait, Dr. Doug Urness and Dr. Randall White.

Dr. Anne Bassett and Dr. Nancy Brager were honoured with the distinction of Distinguished Fellow of the CPA.

Other psychiatric organizations also recognized the excellent work of their colleagues during the CPA Annual Conference:

Alex Leighton Joint CPA-Canadian Academy of Psychiatric Epidemiology Award in Psychiatric Epidemiology
Dr. John Cairney

Association of Chairs of Psychiatry Award for Excellence in Education
Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam

Association of Chairs of Psychiatry Annual Research Award
Dr. Danielle Baribeau

Association of Chairs of Psychiatry Award for Creative Professional Activity
Dr. Stan Kutcher

Joint CPA – Council of Psychiatric Continuing Education (COPCE) Award for the Most Outstanding Continuing Education Activity in Psychiatry in Canada – Medical School
Dr. Cindy Grief and Ms. Lisa Sokoloff

Canadian Organization of Undergraduate Psychiatric Educators (COUPE) Award for Best Paper by a Medical Student
Dr. Dmitriy Matveychuk of Edmonton, Alberta, for his paper, A Review of Ketamine’s Antidepressant Mechanisms.

The Canadian Psychiatric Association is the national voice for Canada’s 5,200 psychiatrists and more than 900 psychiatric residents. Founded in 1951, the CPA is dedicated to promoting an environment that fosters excellence in the provision of clinical care, education and research.