Program Contacts

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Important Information

Statement on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusiveness and the CSIQ

The Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia is committed to fostering a working and learning environment that is free of discrimination and prejudice. We are further committed to ameliorating conditions that would prevent any individual from joining or engaging with our department, including but not limited to those of race, ethnicity, orientation, gender, or background.

We strive to be an inclusive community that recognizes that the diversity of our resident cohort serves as an important factor in promoting the health of all British Columbians. We aim to actively increase the diversity within our department in order to best represent the communities we serve.

This year, our program will be utilizing the CaRMS Self-Identification Questionnaire purely to understand the diversity in our applicant pool and in our successful candidates.  Over the next few years, we will utilize the data to look at ways to improve diversity and inclusion.  The data collected will not in any way be used for the file review process or have any impact on rankings in our selections process.  Candidates are not required to complete the Questionnaire, but to do so only if they feel comfortable.  Not completing the Questionnaire will also in no way have any impact on the file review or the rankings in our process.

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General Instructions

Program application language: English

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Supporting Documentation / Information

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Review Process

Applications submitted after file review has opened on November 26, 2026

Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened  on  November 26, 2026

Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on November 26, 2026

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Interviews

Selection Criteria

Criteria include: diversity of experience, notable personal endeavour(s), motivation to become a psychiatrist, knowledge about psychiatry as a career, academic track record, creativity/interests outside of medicine, capacity for self-evaluation, ability to relate to others/relationships, open-mindedness/adaptability vs. rigidity, problem-solving ability, sense of responsibility/ maturity/ professionalism/ psychiatry marks/ performance

Program goals

The Postgraduate Training Program of the UBC Department of Psychiatry will assist its students in developing the required knowledge, skills, and attitudes of a current, expert, general Psychiatrist and will enable them to fulfill, with a high degree of professionalism, the expanded roles of Medical Expert, Communicator, Collaborator, Leader, Health Advocate, Scholar, and Professional (Psychiatry Competencies 2020). Attainment of these goals, of the CanMEDS competencies as well as of the Competence By Design Entrustable Professional Activities will be regularly measured by rotation specific objectives and workplace based assessments.  Over the residency, we will assist residents in completing each stage of the Program, fulfilling the required training experiences, and passing the certification examination of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Selection process goals

Identify applicants interested in Psychiatry, and those who will develop into exceptional and well-rounded Psychiatrists.

Identify applicants who have demonstrated ability to interact appropriately and professionally with patients, colleagues, and healthcare team members alike.

Identify applicants who have demonstrated clinical excellence and are able to think systematically and multidimensionally.

Identify applicants who have demonstrated attributes highlighted in the Psychiatry Competencies 2020 roles.

Identify applicants who have demonstrated ability and enthusiasm to learn and are able to adapt to the various demands of residency training.

Identify applicants who have a sincere interest to serve British Columbians.

File review process

Evaluation criteria :

Elective criteria

Interview process

Interview evaluation criteria :

Information gathered outside of CaRMS application

Specifically, we may consider:
Social interaction during program related events
Communication with program administration
Social media
Unsolicited reference letters
Unsolicited email references
Unsolicited verbal information on a candidate's prior performance
Unsolicited feedback from colleagues and co-workers

Ranking process

The behavior(s) exhibited below during the interview process may prevent an applicant from being ranked by our program :
Unprofessional or inappropriate behavior   
Did not attend interview   
Interview performance was not competitive   

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Program Highlights

The UBC Department of Psychiatry has a tradition of excellence in research and is the academic home of internationally recognized leaders in basic, translational, and clinical neuroscience. A core mission of the Department is to train the next generation of clinician scientists. A formal Research Track is offered for candidates with previous experience in research and a clear interest in pursuing an academic career in psychiatry. The Research Track integrates dedicated research time in all years of the residency with clinical training that allows the resident to meet the full clinical training requirements of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, as well as the Research Track.

There is a separate CaRMS match for the Research Track, and there are 2 positions available each year. The selection process for the Research Track and the General UBC Residency Track are independent, and interested candidates can apply to both tracks separately. Ranking in the Research Track does not affect applicants’ ranking for the general UBC residency program.

The program supports Research Track residents through mentorship, networking, protected research time, funding opportunities, and support for career development. Dr. William Panenka, Associate Professor of Psychiatry is the Associate Program Director of the Research Track. He provides mentorship and overall oversight of the clinical and research training of the Research Track residents. Research residents are expected to develop their research plans under the supervision of a Scientific Supervisor from the Department of Psychiatry faculty with additional input from basic neuroscientists outside psychiatry as required. The range of research activities within the Department is very wide and includes epidemiology to clinical trials, psychopharmacology, neuroimaging, neuromodulation, genetics/genomics, and preclinical models of brain processes. Applicants are encouraged to explore the faculty profiles at the websites of the Department of Psychiatry and at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre of Brain Health (https://www.centreforbrainhealth.ca/faculty/) to identify supervisors of interest.

The general timeline of the Research Track program is as follows:

PGY1: The clinical placement is usually at St. Paul’s Hospital. During the PGY1 year, the research track residents participate in two research electives, each of one month duration.  The major research goals during PGY1 include meeting with potential Scientific Supervisors and defining an overall research direction and specific research plans.

PGY2: One day per week research time. Clinical placements are usually located at the Vancouver General Hospital/UBC Hospital and involve a combination of inpatient (6 months) and outpatient psychiatry (6 months). The major research goals are to solidify and begin to implement research plans.

PGY3: One day per week research time. Clinical training comprises rotations in Child Psychiatry (6 months) and Geriatric Psychiatry (6 months). Research track residents are expected to be immersed into their research activities and to focus on publications.

PGY4: One day per week research time. Clinical training comprises rotations in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Chronic Care/Addictions and Emergency Psychiatry. By the end of this year the longitudinal requirements for Psychotherapy Training are completed. Research track residents are expected to be immersed in their research activities and publications and begin planning their post-residency academic careers.

PGY5: Up to four days per week research time. Clinical training is one day per week in outpatient clinics or electives. Research residents are expected to consolidate their research work and publications and work towards obtaining academic/research positions post-residency.

From PGY3 onwards, Research residents have the option to enroll in a Master’s program in Clinical Neuroscience, Health Care and Epidemiology or other disciplines, or, exceptionally, in a PhD program. Electively, research residents can continue research training as a PGY6 and PGY7 through the Royal College/UBC Clinician Investigator Program (CIP) or Institute of Mental Health Fellowships (IMHF). Application to the CIP or IMHF are competitive processes that are separate from the UBC Department of Psychiatry.

For additional information and inquiries, please contact Dr. William Panenka, Associate Program Director for the Research Track, at will.panenka@ubc.ca  

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Program Curriculum

This residency program is for 5 years.

Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.

Academic Curriculum

The academic curriculum has been modified with the implementation of Competency By Design started in July 2020.  The residency program is divided into 4 stages: Transition to Discipline, Foundations, Core (of Discipline) and Transition to Practice. 

Seminars in the first stage (duration of one month) will be an introduction to the initial aspects of psychiatric practice including the basics of psychiatric interviewing, diagnosis, formulation, and basic management plan. The Foundations stage, which will subsume the remainder of PGY1 and all PGY2, will attend to the foundational aspects of general psychiatry. The morning curriculum for the PGY2 Residents is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to General Adult Psychiatry, with the initial two-month block being a seminar series covering Psychopharmacology and Emergency Psychiatry.  The last two months will give a general introduction to Child and Adolescent and Geriatric Psychiatry in preparation for PGY3. 

In Core (PGY3 and 4), didactic teaching relates to more complex syndromes and alternate demographics. The focus for the first half of PGY3 is a more in depth look at Child and Adolescent and Geriatric Psychiatry. The latter half of the PGY3 curriculum is designed to provide residents with a more in-depth knowledge of the major clinical syndromes and learn about special areas in psychiatry including Consultation-Liaison, Forensic Psychiatry, Reproductive Psychiatry, etc. salient for the Royal College Exams.  The majority of PGY4 academic days will be reserved for study time, Mock OSCE practice sessions and with some review lectures geared towards exam preparation. 

The Royal College exams will occur at the end of the Core Stage (end of PGY4) leaving the Transition to Practice PGY5 Residents with some clinical flexibility, a series of seminars aimed towards preparation for clinical practice, as well as didactic lectures that are more clinically rather than exam relevant.

The academic program is designed to meet the standards of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. 

Academic seminars are held for a full day each Thursday for the Residents at the PGY2 and PGY3 training levels often with several hours at the end of each, as flex time to use for personal needs or to attend to other Royal College requirements (eg psychotherapy or Scholarly project). The Psychiatry academic day for PGY1 Residents is provided monthly at the home program. PGY1 Residents are excused from their clinical responsibilities for the day to attend this integrated series of seminars covering fundamental aspects of psychiatry.

There is a comprehensive Psychotherapy curriculum covering a number of validated treatment modalities which runs on Thursday afternoons; in the PGY2 year this covers basic psychotherapy skills and increases in complexity and diversity in the PGY3 and initial part of the PGY4 years.

Clinical rotations mandated by the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada

Transition to Discipline (First month of PGY1)

Foundations (General Medical and required Psychiatry Rotations for the remainder of PGY1)

Foundations (PGY2 - Adult Inpatient (6 months) and Adult Outpatient (6 months))

Core (PGY3 - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (6 months))

Core (PGY3-Geriatric Psychiatry (6 months))

Core (PGY4-Consultation-Liaison (3 months))

Core (PGY4-Chronic Care (6 months, minimum 2 days per week))

Core (PGY4-Addiction Psychiatry (6 weeks, sometimes longitudinally))

Core (PGY4-Emergency Psychiatry (6 weeks))

Transition to Practice (PGY5-Selectives (6 months, no less than 3 months per rotation))

Transition to Practice (PGY5-Electives (6 months, no less than 2 months per rotation))

 

Concurrent & Longitudinal

Occurring within the sixty months of residency, training will include:

Training in empirically supported psychotherapeutic approaches. This must involve 2 years of weekly longitudinal psychodynamic psychotherapy, a minimum of 4-6 months of weekly CBT+IPT and a minimum of 4-6 months of both family and group psychotherapy. Training in empirically supported psychotherapeutic approaches will be documented and evaluated separately from other rotations.

PGY1 (Transition to Discipline and Foundations)

Training occurs at St. Paul's Hospital or other Vancouver Sites depending on capacity. Basic Clinical Year (BCY) Program determines the site for each PGY1. There is coordination between the PGY1 Training Directors at each hospital site and the Residency Program and Associate Program Directors. The initial month-long Transition to Discipline rotation will occur in a Psychiatry setting, to complete the initial two Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA’s). Rotations thereafter will differ somewhat between the training sites, but all will include: one block of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Neurology, Emergency Medicine, Addictions, Emergency Psychiatry, an Elective, two blocks of Selectives and 2 additional blocks of Psychiatry.

PGY2 (Foundations)

Training consists of twelve months of Adult Psychiatry six months in an inpatient and six months in an outpatient setting and occurs at one of the following hospitals: Vancouver General Hospital, UBC Hospital (Research Track), Richmond Hospital, St. Paul's Hospital, and Lion's Gate Hospital.

PGY3 (Core)

Training consists of six months of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at: BC Children's & Women's Hospital alone or in combination with Richmond Hospital; and six months of Geriatric Psychiatry at one of four sites: Mt. St. Joseph's/St. Paul’s Hospital, Richmond Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital or Lion's Gate Hospital.

PGY4 (Core)

Training consists of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry, Emergency Psychiatry, Chronic Care Psychiatry and one elective.  Training is not restricted to the home track but can occur in any track across the province on a first come first serve basis, and there can be consideration of a rotation out of province under special circumstances.

PGY5 (Transition to Practice)

During this period the resident assumes more leadership in the education and supervision of junior colleagues while consolidating and further developing a career track interest through electives and selectives including research.

Training consists of six months each of Selectives and Electives. Selectives are limited to child & adolescent psychiatry; geriatric psychiatry; forensic psychiatry; psychosomatic medicine; psychiatric research; the psychotherapies; addictions; developmental disabilities and psychiatry in rural and/or remote locations. Electives could involve any aspect of training relevant to contemporary psychiatric practice, including research as approved by the residency training committee. Electives may consist of an approved rotation in internal medicine, neurology, or other branch of medicine relevant to psychiatry.  There is also consideration for electives to be done out of province or out of country with approval.

Electives/Selectives

A wide variety of electives are offered along with flexibility in splitting these electives and/or arranging new ones. There are opportunities to spend all or part of the elective year in an approved residency program anywhere in North America or abroad in the following areas:

-Anxiety Disorders

-Child Psychiatry

-Chronic Pain

-Civil Forensics

-Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

-Concurrent Disorders

-Consultation/Liaison

-Cross Cultural Psychiatry

-Early Psychosis

-Eating Disorders

-Forensic Psychiatry

-Gender Dysphoria Clinic

-Geriatric Psychiatry

-Group Psychotherapy

-Infant Mental Health

-Mood Disorders Program

-Neuropsychiatry

-Personality Disorders

-Psychotherapy/OPD

-Refractory Psychosis

-Reproductive Psychiatry

-Sexual Medicine

-Sleep Disorders

-Student Health Services  

Subspecialty Streams

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - 2-year program beginning in PGY5

Geriatric Psychiatry - 2-year program beginning in PGY5

Forensic Psychiatry - 1-year program in PGY6

Research

Emphasis is placed on research throughout the program and is required through the following process:

With the help of the Oversight Director of Research and Scholarly Activity, Dr. Erin Michalak, and Scholarly Activity Supervisor for Vancouver Track, Dr. Donna Lang, residents are required to be involved in a scholarly activity from the onset of their training. Dr. Michalak's designate in different tracks facilitates liaison between residents and specific research mentors and assists them with new and ongoing research projects, writing up cases, and literature reviews.

There are 2 CaRMS matched Research Track positions which allow for 1 day per week of protected research time in PGY2-5 years.

Non-Research Track residents may apply for ½ day per week for a more complex research project at any time from their PGY2 year on until its completion as long as this does not interfere with their educational trajectory.

Annual Research Day: Residents are able to present their work and the department awards prizes for the best clinical and basic science papers submitted by residents.

Any resident may apply for permission to do six or twelve months in a research selective in their final year.

Opportunities for research exist in many areas of clinical and basic science practice.

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Training Sites

Through an integrated program of clinical placements and academic seminars, the UBC program is designed to achieve the goals of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the University of British Columbia. Clinical placements for all tracks include:

General Hospitals

• Vancouver Hospital (VGH)
• St. Paul's Hospital (SPH)
• Richmond Hospital (RH)
• Peace Arch Hospital (PAH)
• BC Children's Hospital (BCCH)
• Lion's Gate Hospital (LGH)
• Mount St. Joseph's Hospital (MSJH)
• Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH)
• Surrey Memorial Hospital (SMH)
• Burnaby Hospital (BH)
• University of British Columbia Hospital (UBCH)
• Royal Jubilee Hospital, Victoria (RJH)
• Victoria General Hospital, Victoria (VGH)
• University Hospital of Northern BC, Prince George (UHNBC)
• Kelowna General Hospital (KGH)
• Royal Inland Hospital (RIH)
• Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH)

 

Special Training Sites

• The Vancouver Community Mental Health System (VCMHS) is comprised of community-based, multi-disciplinary mental health teams catering to the needs of clients suffering from severe and persistent mental illness.
• BC Children's Hospital is the tertiary care pediatric hospital for the Province of British Columbia.
• Child psychiatry: As of May 2017 the Fraser site of SMH has opened a new state of the art unit for children and adolescents (CAPSU) to allow for short term stabilization developed as an addition to longer stay units. In Vancouver, BCCH is the tertiary psychiatric care pediatric hospital for the Province of British Columbia and has numerous subspecialty clinics. There is opportunity to pursue a child and adolescent fellowship at both Vancouver and Fraser Health training sites.
• Specialized Geriatric Psychiatric Services are offered through Mount St. Joseph's Hospital, VGH, Richmond Hospital, Lion's Gate Hospital, VCMHS.
• Specialized Geriatric Psychiatric Services are offered at Fraser sites including RCH, SMH, PAH. There is a new subspecialized older adult mental health unit at RCH staffed by geriatric psychiatrist and focused on psychiatric care for the elderly.
• Tertiary care centres include Timber Creek at SMH which has a 17-bed tertiary rehabilitation unit as well as 12 psychiatric intensive care beds (PICU). There are psychiatric high acuity units at SMH, RCH, and Abbotsford Regional Hospital (ARH)
• CL Psychiatry at Royal Columbian Hospital offers a critical care psychiatry elective for senior residents interested in developing their psychiatric treatment and diagnostic skills in the ICU/HAU setting.
• Outreach Community Placement provides training in general community psychiatry in areas outside of the lower mainland, in designated rural sites and outreach facilities providing consultation to outlying areas in the province on a regular basis. Funding is available to residents who pursue this anytime in their PGY2-5 years.
• Forensic Services is affiliated with the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission and provides extensive clinical experience in the assessment and treatment of adults in conflict with the law. Residents may choose to do their Chronic Care rotation at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital. There are also opportunities for civil forensics, outpatient forensics, Outreach placements and research.
• The Psychiatric Assessment Unit (PAU) in VGH is a unique emergency service. It is designed with a crisis stabilization model in mind, providing assessments to the ER, immediate intervention, containment & stabilization, and short-term triaging of patients. It is located adjacent to the Emergency Department at VGH and consists of 14 beds with 2 seclusion rooms. The staff is comprised of 8 psychiatrists of varied backgrounds, but who all have expertise in ER psychiatry.
• Clinical investigation units dedicated to research, evaluation and clinical service are well established in Mood Disorders and Refractory Psychosis at UBC Hospital.
• The Neuropsychiatry Unit at UBC evaluates and treats disorders of mood, behaviour, cognition and intellect produced by disturbances in brain structure and function. A fundamental goal is the understanding of how the brain mediates neuropsychiatric illness.
• The Reproductive Psychiatry Program, based at BC Women's Hospital, SPH, RCH and SMH, evaluates and treats women with psychiatric problems associated with their reproductive years.
• The Sleep Disorders Program is a multidisciplinary program based at the University of British Columbia Hospital with inpatient/outpatient programs involved in the assessment and evaluation of sleep disorders.
• The Division of Sexual Medicine provides clinical services to patients with sexual dysfunctions and gender dysphoria through the Centre for Sexuality, Gender Identity, and Reproductive Health at VGH. The Sexual Medicine Consultation Clinic is part of VCMHS and provides consultation services to both patients with severe mental illness and their therapists. Both services also provide opportunities for education and research.
• St. Paul's Hospital offers residency training opportunities in the assessment and management of patients from Inner City circumstances as well as a fellowship in Addictions Psychiatry and Medicine
• The Tertiary Eating Disorders Clinic at SPH evaluates and treats disorders associated with eating through inpatient/outpatient and outreach programs.
• Hillside Centre in Kamloops provides specialized tertiary services for adult and geriatric patients from the southern and northern interior of BC. Their neuropsychiatry program provides specialized services for the interior of the province and is a part of the BC Neuropsychiatry program linked with the UBC site. South Hills Centre in Kamloops provides tertiary psychosocial rehabilitation and sub-acute stabilization for people from throughout the Interior Health Authority with severe, refractory illness in a community setting.
• In the unique setting of Vancouver's multicultural society, the Outpatient Psychiatry Program at VGH offers initial assessments in a variety of languages including Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish and Farsi.
• There are numerous options to participate in concurrent disorders including at the Red Fish Healing Centre for mental health and addictions, and the Heartwood Centre for women at BC Women’s Hospital. Addictions training is available at all sites including RCH, SMH, VGH, SPH, RH. There are opportunities to participate in hospital consultations, as well as options to participate in inpatient/outpatient rehabilitation settings. An alternate yearlong Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship has been established at VGH in July 2023. Shortly, a yearlong Concurrent Disorder Fellowship will be initiated that spans other Vancouver and Fraser Addictions sites.
• Homewood Ravensview on Vancouver Island offers inpatient addictions and mental health care with a focus on trauma related disorders.  Core and elective placements are available.
• The First Nations Health Authority offers virtual psychiatric care to First Nations people throughout the province in a shared care model

 

Additional Information

• There are opportunities to pursue interprovincial or international electives with Program approval.
• Fellowships are available in Neuropsychiatry, Addictions Medicine, Addictions Psychiatry and Mood Disorders.