GENERAL PSYCHIATRY
SENIOR SELECTIVE-RESEARCH ROTATION
Contact:
Ian Dawe, Programs and Divisions
Tel: 416-864-5137 Fax: 416-864-5480
dawel@smh.toronto.on.ca
SMH/UHN
Principal Supervisor
See below
SENIOR SELECTIVE - RESEARCH ROTATION:
General Psychiatry Senior Resident Research
Completed by:
Dr. Ian Dawe, MHSc, MD, FRCP
Training sites: St Michael’s Hospital, University Health Network
Objectives: To provide research experience in one of the four areas listed below
Research rotations in 4 different areas of General Psychiatry are offered:
A. Rotation in Clinical Trials in Mood and Other Disorders: This rotation provides clinical and research
training in designing, conducting, and evaluating clinical research in mood and anxiety disorders.
Interventions may include medication, psychotherapy, or combinations of the two. Current clinical trials
include several trials of novel antidepressants for unipolar depression, comparative trials of agents in
bipolar depression, trials of novel antipsychotics in bipolar disorder, and psychosocial clinical trials
comparing psychoeducation and cognitive-behavioral therapy in bipolar disorder. Key faculty in this area
would include Dr. S. Kennedy, Dr. R. McIntyre, and Dr. S. Parikh at UHN.
B. Rotation in Suicide Studies: The Arthur Sommer Rotenberg Chair in Suicide Studies, the only endowed
chair in suicide studies in North America, was established in 1997 in memory of Dr. Arthur Sommer
Rotenberg, a caring and committed family physician in the Toronto area that died from suicide. The Arthur
Sommer Rotenberg Chair in Suicide Studies is an academic program affiliated with the Department of
Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and is housed at St. Michael's Hospital. Rotations are available to
interested residents within the academic environment of the Chair, focusing on research leading to a
greater understanding of the various biological, psychological and sociological determinants of suicidal
behaviour, and implementing societal and clinical healthcare advances to reduce the losses and suffering
resulting from suicide and suicidal behaviour. The multi-professional team at the Arthur Sommer Rotenberg
Chair in Suicide Studies is headed by Dr. Paul S. Links and includes research and healthcare professionals
representing the fields of Epidemiology, Psychiatry, Psychology, Social Work, and Sociology.
C.
Rotation in Knowledge Transfer / Continuing Medical Education: This rotation provides training in the
design and evaluation of effective continuing medical education, both to psychiatrists and to family
physicians and other health professionals. It builds on the University of Toronto’s world-leading expertise in
this area as well as the Department of Psychiatry’s role as the largest academic provider of Continuing
Education in Canada. Individuals interested in research in education or in improving teaching or in
education administration are invited to apply. Key faculty include Dr. S. Parikh and experts from the Centre
for Research in Education and the Knowledge Translation Program of UHN.
D. Rotation in Emergency and Acute Care Psychiatry: This rotation is designed to provide clinical training,
with opportunity for research, in the emergency evaluation and crisis management of major mental health
disorders. Training in a variety of crisis clinics and short-term inpatient units augments emergency room
training, together with exposure (if desired) to acute care services in a variety of languages. Key faculty
include Drs I. Dawe, M. Goldstein at St Michael’s Hospital, and Drs. J. Lofchy, R. Buckingham, J. Silveira,
and S. Parikh at UHN, as well as Drs R. Doan, J. Soni, and D. Greben at CAMH.
Percentage of research component of rotation per week: Each resident will negotiate the appropriate
percentage, but the minimum would be 50%.
General Psychiatry/SS Research Rotation - Page 1 of 2
In the remaining percentage of the week, what clinical training related to the research subject of the rotation
do you propose to provide the resident?
Each resident will negotiate that individually, depending on the type of project and setting.
If, in the remaining percentage of the week, the resident wants to pursue clinical training unrelated to your
division, will it be feasible from your point of view?
Yes
Career Purpose of rotation for resident:



To be exposed to clinical or educational research to learn if that is of future interest
To be prepared to conduct clinical trials in a community setting
To begin an academic career in General Psychiatry with a solid start in research
Will a fellowship offering continuity to the research training of the rotation be available to the resident who
completes the rotation satisfactorily?
Yes
Ways this rotation will enhance your division: It will allow us to ‘grow our own’ in terms of building a cadre of
future researchers in general psychiatry
Ways this rotation will augment academic psychiatry: At a time when basic science research is unusually
exciting and attracting attention, this rotation will re-establish the importance of clinical research and educational
research, and provide research and educational experiences in the largest and arguably most important division
within the department. The field of psychiatry, in order to be ‘generalizable’ and relevant to society, must have an
active and scholarly area that relates to most of society, namely the Division of General Psychiatry.
SMH
Homelessness Research (Health
Systems/General Psychiatry) Research Senior Selective
Supervisors:
Dr. Vicky Stergiopoulos
416-864-6060 x 6415
stergiopoulosv@smh.toronto.on.ca
Position: Six months to one year research rotation. Open to all residents who may wish to do an elective
research project
The resident will be encouraged to develop their own project or to build on ongoing studies. Examples of
current projects include: Collaborative mental health care for the homeless; neuro-cognitive deficits of
homeless adults; needs based planning in homeless health; curriculum development and evaluation. The
resident will have access to the resources and supervision at the Centre for Research on Inner City Health.
General Psychiatry/SS Research Rotation - Page 2 of 2