Message from the President
The Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CACAP) constitutes the National Specialty Society for child and adolescent psychiatrists. Together with other medical and allied professionals we are committed to advancing the mental health of infants, children, youth and families through promotion of excellence in care, advocacy, education, research and inter-professional collaboration.
In 2009, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada approved Child and Adolescent Psychiatry as a subspecialty and has recently formally appointed a Subspecialty Committee and an Examination Board.
Much has been said about subspecialty recognition as an important milestone in the development of our profession. This is certainly a sign of maturity. However, with maturity comes responsibility.As a young discipline, credibility has at times come under scrutiny. Our response has been, and continues to be, the promotion of clinical practice informed by the rigor of science and the guarantee to deliver care with compassion and dedication.
We understand the human condition is complex. As we make progress in molecular and sub-molecular psychiatry we are in awe at the profound dialogue emerging between genes and environment, between nature and nurture that will continue to offer a greater understanding of the mechanisms of disorder, deliver opportunities for prevention and health promotion, and provide innovation in treatment. Our organization is committed to ensuring that new knowledge and information are exchanged through fruitful debate, adopting the highest standards of ethics and professionalism.
Two important vehicles for the promotion of this scientific and clinical exchange are our journal and our annual scientific conference. The Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry under the leadership of Dr. Normand Carrey publishes peer reviewed original research, clinical case consultations, and book reviews. It is now an open access journal indexed in PubMed, PubMed Central, PsychINFO, CINAHL and Scopus. I encourage you to read the Journal and also consider a submission of your own work, contributing in this way to the exchange of knowledge and ideas.
We are already planning our 2012 Annual Conference, which will take place in Montreal at the end of September, at the same time as CPA's annual conference. We are guided by Dr. Daniel Gorman and Dr. Ashley Wazana, Scientific and Program Committee Chair and Vice-chair, together with the outstanding stewardship of Dr. Antonio Pignatiello, Conference Committee Chair, and Local Arrangements Committee Chair Dr. Lila Amirali. I strongly encourage you to submit a proposal for a workshop, institute or poster presentation. The deadline is March 22, 2012!
We are looking forward to seeing you in Montreal.
Abel Ickowicz MD, FRCPC
President, 2010-2012
