NOSM University’s Psychiatry Postgraduate Program is celebrating the acceptance of one of its residents, Dr. Joshua Lee, into the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Subspecialty Program at the University of British Columbia. Given the school’s social accountability mandate to serve under-serviced populations within the northern regions of Ontario, as well as other rural and remote areas of Canada, Dr. Lee’s acceptance is a huge step forward for the program to meet this mandate and serve the community. Northern regions such as those served by NOSM University have long struggled with recruitment and retention of subspecialists, with child & adolescent psychiatry considered one of the most under-serviced subspecialties in Canada.
NOSM University is the youngest medical school in Canada and the youngest psychiatry residency program. The recent establishment of the CHAMPS Program (Child & Adolescent Multi-disciplinary Psychiatric Services) in Thunder Bay will assist with recruitment into the region, though having NOSM University psychiatry residents training within the subspecialty will also assist with increasing numbers. At this point in time, residents with NOSM University Psychiatry have three clinical training sites for child & adolescent psychiatry rotations: Thunder Bay, North Bay and Midland. Discussions have been had with psychiatry residency programs in southern Ontario with hopes to expand training opportunities and spark increased interest in the subspecialty. We look forwards to welcoming Dr. Lee into our ranks as a CAP colleague, as well as all future NOSM University psychiatry subspecialists.