If I had been psychiatrist-in-chief from 1995 to 2001…

I could be a man or a woman and would be officially known as the psychiatrist-in-chief of the Douglas Hospital. I would collaborate in the conception and implementation of the 1997-2000 strategic plan which would involve a major shift to ambulatory care. With the help of a committed and skilful management team, five sector teams would be established, the case management model would be adopted, and our efforts would be redirected from inpatient treatment to meaningful reintegration of our clients into the community.

At the end of the exercise, we would be left with 288 beds and a well-developed network of psychosocial rehabilitation and community support services. The Hospital would also adopt an avant-garde organizational plan that would introduce program management and shared governance, and would emphasize our commitment to interdisciplinarity.


I am psychiatrist-in-chief in 2006, I am a woman and I form part of a dedicated clinical-management team in a 239-bed hospital with over 10,000 outpatient visits a year. I don’t live in Burland Villa, which is currently occupied by the McGill Center for Studies in Aging, but from my office in Dobell Pavilion, I have come to appreciate the legacy and tradition associated with our institution.

As I look back over my 4 years as chief, I can attest to the fact that the Douglas tradition lives on with new, specialized programs with clinical-research-teaching mandates, new centers of excellence for research, new teaching and training initiatives, new approaches to care and service delivery, and new collaborations with community, academic and ministerial partners. And if that was not enough, a record number of prestigious awards and accolades garnered by our staff.

How can I be anything but proud to be part of an institution that has embraced change for 125 years in order to care for and heal some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society? I have a sense of kinship with those who, against numerous odds, toiled before my time to improve the quality of care and seek new treatments for those who suffer from mental illness. I realize now that my challenges are no greater than theirs, and that I have more tools than ever to carry out the Douglas’ tradition— to care with open minds.


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