Subspecialties

M E M O

Date: February 16, 2012

To:    All members of the Department of Psychiatry

From:  Dr. Susan J. Lieff, Vice-Chair, Education, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto

Re:    UofT Psychiatry accredited subspecialties

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The University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry is the only Department in Canada to be accredited for all three psychiatry subspecialties!

We are delighted to announce that our Department has just received confirmation from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) that the University of Toronto is the only university to receive accreditation for all three psychiatry subspecialty programs in child and adolescent psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. These subspecialties were just approved by RCPSC in the spring of 2011. It is only through the exemplary efforts and planning of the program directors and their committees that this accreditation was achieved. Congratulations to Drs. John Langley (child), Rob Madan (geriatric) and Lisa Ramshaw (forensic) and their teams for their leadership in psychiatric education in Canada.

Call for Subspecialty Applications (Deadline: Monday, October 17th, 2011): [PDF]

Download Instructions & Application: [PDF] or [Word]

Residency Experience Form: [Excel]

Subspecialties:

1. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

2. Forensic Psychiatry

3. Geriatric Psychiatry

Residency Experience Form: Residency Experience Form

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Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Program, University of Toronto

The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Toronto consists of 11 member sites. In addition to the Hospital for Sick Children and the Child, Youth, and Family Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, we have a variety of community children’s mental health agencies and affiliated hospitals.

The Division offers an extraordinary breadth and depth of clinical experiences with excellent, dedicated supervisors and teachers. The Head of the Division is extremely committed to postgraduate education and is supportive of the Program Director. We have a strong and committed residency program committee and we use the most up-to-date and innovative evaluation methods and tools. Our supervisor evaluation system encourages residents to honestly evaluate supervisors, while protecting anonymity as required. We have a very strong research faculty and residents will have ample research opportunities. Finally, we offer a variety of opportunities for community based training. Our subspecialty training program has been accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. We will be accepting our first resident cohort in July 2012. For further information about the subspecialty training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, please contact Dr. John Langley, Program Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Subspecialty. John.langley@utoronto.ca.

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Forensic Psychiatry

Forensic Psychiatry has been approved as a subspecialty of Psychiatry by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. The University of Toronto anticipates offering a 1-year, PGY-6 Training Program in Forensic Psychiatry commencing in July 2012. The Program will provide an immersion in all aspects of Forensic Psychiatry. Residents will be trained in assessments of individuals involved in the legal systems, and consultations on behalf of third parties, through to specialized psychiatric treatment (risk management and recovery) required by those involved in jails, prisons and specialized forensic psychiatric hospitals. Residents will gain expertise in report writing and in providing expert testimony. They will be involved in research in forensic mental health and have opportunities to participate in a wide variety of forensic subpopulations including youth, maximum security, correctional and community settings.

The curriculum will include 2 to 3 days a week of Core Training, 1.5 to 2.5 days a week of Selectives, involving a total of 4.5 days a week over the year. Core Training will be divided between Forensic Psychiatry Assessments (fitness to stand trial, criminal responsibility, and violence risk) and Longitudinal Care of individuals under the jurisdiction of the Criminal Code Review Board. Selectives will include two or more of: Correctional Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry, Civil Psychiatry, Sexual Behaviour Assessment and Treatment, Complex Violence and Sexual Violence Risk Assessments, and Research in Forensic Psychiatry. Weekly Academic Half-Days, including seminars and alternating journal club and case discussions, will complete the 5-day week. There will be opportunities for training at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and other sites in Toronto, at Ontario Shores Mental Health Sciences in Whitby, and at Way Point Centre in Penetanguishene. There will be further potential opportunities in rural settings including areas such as Kenora, Nunavut, Peterborough and Kingston.

For further information about the subspecialty training in Forensic Psychiatry, please contact Dr. Lisa Ramshaw, Program Director, Forensic Psychiatry subspecialty. lisa_ramshaw@camh.net

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Geriatric Psychiatry

The University of Toronto Geriatric Psychiatry Program offers a comprehensive and innovative training program. A variety of tools and activities are used to ensure that trainees meet the objectives of training in the CanMEDS roles. The medical expert content is delivered through a comprehensive core curriculum series. The other CanMEDS roles are taught and evaluated using innovative techniques with the goal of graduating Residents who are well-rounded and effective physicians for the future.

There are 7 academic centres and 41 Faculty members involved in the training program. Year 1 of the program consists of a combination core clinical work (outreach and ambulatory care) along with a wide choice of electives and advanced training/scholarly activities. In Year 2, ambulatory care continues as a longitudinal clinic. Residents complete the inpatient portion of the rotation and continue electives and advanced training/scholarly project.

The advanced training/scholarly activities portion of the training program spans the 2 years. The goal is to develop an advanced level of competency in areas such as education, research, service development and administration, advocacy, or leadership – according to individual career goals, subject to approval by the Program Director. The University of Toronto Geriatric Psychiatry Program offers a wide range of research activities. The Division of Geriatric Psychiatry is home to internationally renowned expert researchers who have done seminal work in the area. The program supports and encourages research activities. Residents have a significant amount of protected time to be involved in research given amount of time designated for the clinical psychiatric research selective and advanced training/scholarly activities.

For further information about the subspecialty training in Geriatric Psychiatry, please contact Dr. Robert Madan, Program Director, Geriatric Psychiatry Subspecialty. rmadan@baycrest.org

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