The Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA) is pleased to announce it will be welcoming its new president, Dr. Wei-Yi Song, tomorrow night during its annual President’s Gala.

Dr. Song is a consultant-psychiatrist practicing in Victoria, as well as an Assistant Program Director of Postgraduate Education with the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Department of Psychiatry. His clinical and research interests centre on refractory mood disorders in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

“It is an honour and privilege to serve as CPA’s new president,” said Dr. Song. “As psychiatrists, it is our responsibility to ensure we keep striving for timely and appropriate care for our patients. Together, with a unified voice, we can help foster a stigma-free Canada wherein all citizens have equal access to quality mental health care.”

A graduate of Xiangya Medical School, Central South University in China, Dr. Song first moved to Montreal to work as a research associate at a clinical psychopharmacology clinic affiliated with McGill University. He later received his training in psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan and ultimately settled in Victoria, British Columbia where he began working as a consultant psychiatrist for Island Health, South Island’s Department of Psychiatry. He is now also the Director of Mood Disorder Services as well as the Director of ECT Services.

He remains an active and passionate educator, winning several awards for his teaching of medical students and psychiatry residents over the last 15 years at UBC. Additionally, he is tirelessly involved in providing continuing medical education activities as both a speaker and organizer, and has been the chair of the Annual Mood Disorders Conference in Victoria for the last 18 years.

“There are many challenges ahead of us, such as the inequality of access to care, the increasing physician burnout rate, and the disparity in mental health funding and income across different specialties,” said Dr. Song. “As fellow psychiatrists, we need to look out for each other. There can be no healthy society without having healthy medical care providers.”

Dr. Song has been a member of the executive committee of the British Columbia Psychiatric Association (BCPA) since 2010. He has also held various volunteer positions with the Canadian Psychiatric Association, serving two terms on the Education Committee as well as being elected to the Association’s Board of Directors in 2016.

Bio, Dr. Wei-Yi Song

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.