We’re proud to announce that Dr. George Foussias, Chief of the Schizophrenia Division at CAMH, has been named the Provincial Clinical Lead, Psychosis and Schizophrenia for the Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence at Ontario Health.
The Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence was established by the provincial government to support Ontario in building a comprehensive and connected mental health and addictions system. As we all work towards a common goal, a strong Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence is important for CAMH and the mental health sector. As Canada's foremost mental health teaching hospital, and a world leading research centre in the field, CAMH is thrilled to be supporting this work.
This news comes as the Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence announces five Provincial Clinical Leads to champion the following clinical areas of focus:
- Schizophrenia and Psychosis
- Depression and Anxiety-Related Disorders (including a dedicated Indigenous Clinical Lead)
- Substance Use Disorders
- Eating Disorders
“I'm excited by the unique opportunity to work with the Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence to transform care and outcomes for individuals with psychosis and schizophrenia in Ontario,” said Dr. Foussias. “In this role I look forward to working in collaboration with health system partners, clinicians, patients, and family members to enable access to high quality evidence-based coordinated care for individuals experiencing psychosis and schizophrenia across the province.”
According to the Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence, through partnerships with people with lived experience and experts from the community mental health and addictions, primary care, child and youth mental health, and hospital sectors, the Provincial Clinical Leads “will create and implement a strategic vision for each of the clinical priority areas above, and will set, execute, and monitor key priorities. This will include system planning and design, improving quality of care, and leading change management, along with related data, reporting and performance management.”
Dr. Foussias is a Clinician Scientist in the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Chief of the Schizophrenia Division, and Director of the Slaight Family Centre for Youth in Transition. He heads the Virtual Reality and Behavioural Neuroscience Research Laboratory at CAMH. He is also Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto.