2010 Summer Program

Summer Program in Social and Cultural Psychiatry 2010

16th Annual Summer Program
May 3 to June 4, 2010

You can download the 2010 Summer Program in PDF format.

Summer School Brochure [.pdf] .

General information

Registration information

Courses and workshops

Guest faculty

McGill faculty


Also see Advanced Study Institute.


In 1995, the Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University inaugurated an annual summer school in social and cultural psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology. The program provides the conceptual background for research and clinical work in social and cultural psychiatry and will be of interest to:

  • postdoctoral trainees, researchers, and clinicians in psychiatry and other mental health disciplines
  • residents and graduate students in health and social sciences
  • physicians, psychologists, social workers and health professionals

The summer program forms part of the training activities of the Montreal WHO Collaborating Centre and is endorsed by the Canadian Academy of Psychiatric Epidemiology.

General information

Director: Laurence J. Kirmayer, MD

Administrator: Venetia Bancroft

Administrative Office:
Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry,
Department of Psychiatry
McGill University
1033 Pine Avenue West
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 1A1

Tel.: 514-398-7302
Fax: 514-398-4370
Email: tcpsych [at] mcgill.ca

Courses may be taken for academic credit, Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit, or for professional interest. Workshops may be taken only for professional interest or CME.

Academic credit

Cultural Psychiatry (PSYT711) and Psychiatric Epidemiology (PSYT713) may be taken for academic credit. Students enrolled in a graduate program at McGill must register for these courses through Minerva. Non-McGill Quebec university students may request an interuniversity transfer of credits (www.crepuq.qc.ca). Students not enrolled in a program at McGill (including visiting non-professionals, McGill medical residents not in the MSc Program and students from other universities in Canada or the US) must apply for "Special Student" status to register for the courses. Applicants can access the McGill web application at www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/apply.Those who are unable to access the Internet may request an application package from our office. All applications for "Special Student" status from international students must be received by January 15, 2010 and Canadian applicants must apply by February 15, 2010. All applicants must include a $100.00 (Cdn) application fee and official transcripts of undergraduate studies and graduate studies, if applicable (this amount cannot be applied towards course/workshop fees). Official notification of acceptance as a "Special Student" is issued by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Transfer of academic credits should be arranged with the applicant's own university. Students must obtain their McGill student identity number in order to register for the courses on Minerva.

Students wishing to apply for the MSc program in Psychiatry (with concentration in Social and Transcultural Psychiatry) should direct inquiries to:

Graduate Program Coordinator
Department of Psychiatry
McGill University
1033 Pine Avenue West, Room 105
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 1A1

Tel.: 514-398-4176
Email: msc.psychiatry [at] mcgill.ca
Website: http://www.med.mcgill.ca/psychiatry/teaching.htm
The application deadline is January 15, 2010

CME and Professional Interest

Psychiatrists and general practitioners from North America, who are not seeking academic credits, may enroll for Continuing Medical Education (CME) study credits available from McGill University, Division of Continuing Medical Education, which sponsors continuing medical education for physicians and is fully accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS), the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) for MAINPRO-M1 credits, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education of the United States (ACCME). Those interested in obtaining CME credits must indicate this clearly on the registration form at the end of this brochure. Daily sign-in registration is required in order to receive attestation certificates.

Registrations for professional interest are accepted as long as room is available in a course or workshop. These students will receive a certificate from the Department of Psychiatry attesting that they attended the course or workshop.

Courses and workshops

Courses

PSYT 711 Cultural Psychiatry 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

L. Kirmayer, A. Young, & Faculty (3 academic credits)

This seminar surveys recent theory and research on the interaction of culture and psychiatric disorders. Topics to be covered include: history of cultural psychiatry; cross-national epidemiological and ethnographic research on major and minor psychiatric disorders; culture-bound syndromes and idioms of distress; culture, emotion and social interaction; ritual and symbolic healing; mental health of indigenous peoples; mental health of immigrants and refugees; psychiatric theory and practice as cultural constructions; methods of cross-cultural research; globalization and the future of cultural psychiatry. [Prerequisites: Courses in abnormal psychology and medical anthropology.] Text: Course readings will be available at the McGill Bookstore. Begins: May 4, 2010 (4 weeks) T•Th 13h30-18h00, Room 138, Irving Ludner Building, 1033 Pine Avenue West.

PSYT 713 Psychiatric Epidemiology 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

G. Galbaud du Fort, N. Frasure-Smith, & Faculty (3 academic credits)

This course offers an overview of the application of epidemiology in the field of psychiatry. Topics include: epidemiologic research methods in psychiatry; instruments and methods used in community studies; study of treatment-seeking, pathways to care, and use of services; interaction between psychological distress and physical health; methods used in specific populations and for specific disorders; evaluation of treatments, interventions, and needs for care. Text: Course readings will be available at the McGill Bookstore. Begins: May 3, 2010 (4 weeks) M•W•F 13h30-16h45, Room 138, Irving Ludner Building, 1033 Pine Avenue West.

Workshops

Working with Culture: Clinical Methods in Cultural Psychiatry
C. Rousseau, J. Guzder, & Faculty

This workshop for mental health practitioners provides an overview of clinical models and methods in cultural psychiatry. Topics include: working with translators and culture brokers; attending to culture, ethnicity, racism and power in individual and family interventions with migrants and ethnocultural minorities; how cultural work transforms the therapist; ethical issues in intercultural work; strategies for working in different settings including schools, community organizations and refugee immigration boards. Invited lectures will frame the basic issues of clinical intervention through the paradigms of cultural voices and languages of symptoms, art, and play. The clinical intersection of healer, culture, diagnosis, and therapy will be approached by a review of developmental theories, identity and life cycle variations in migrant or minority experience. Text: Course readings will be available at the McGill Bookstore. Begins: May 4, 2010 (4 weeks) T•Th 09h00-12h00, Room 138, Irving Ludner Building, 1033 Pine Avenue West.

Trauma and Recovery
D. Pedersen, L. Kirmayer, A. Young, & Guest Faculty

This seminar presents a critical introduction to current issues in psychological trauma aimed at bridging research and practice with war-affected populations. Topics include: political violence, ethnic conflict, and contemporary wars; collapse, collective self-destruction, and organized violence; critical perspectives in trauma theory and practice; traumatic memory; the role of culture in shaping individual and collective responses to trauma; inter-individual differences in stress responsivity; PTSD: issues and controversies; gender and violence; displacement and forced migration; resilience and recovery; intervention models at individual (clinical), community-based, and population (public health) levels; complex emergencies and humanitarian interventions. Case studies from the Gaza strip, Peru, and Sri Lanka will be presented for discussion. Texts: Kirmayer, L. J., Lemelson, R., & Barad, M. (Eds.). (2007). Understanding trauma: Integrating biological, clinical, and cultural perspectives. New York: Cambridge University Press; Kleinman, A., Das, V., & Lock, M. (1997). Social suffering. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; Young, A. (1995). The harmony of illusions: Inventing post-traumatic stress disorder. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Begins: May 5, 2010 (4 weeks) W•F  13h30-16h45, Room 102, Social Studies of Medicine Building, 3647 Peel Street.

Qualitative Research Methods in Social and Cultural Psychiatry
D. Groleau & C. Rodriguez

This course provides an overview of selected topics while focusing on a practicum approach to qualitative research relevant to social and cultural psychiatric research. A particular focus will be given to practising qualitative methods for generating qualitative empirical material such as individual interviews, focus groups, and participant-observation. Participants will also gain familiarity with ethnographic interviewing with the McGill Illness Narrative Interview Schedule. Procedures to apply interpretive analytical strategies such as thematic and narrative analysis will also be the basis for in-class exercises. Strongly empirically oriented, this course will also support in-depth discussions on the usefulness of specific theoretical concepts to guide qualitative analysis in health research. Ultimately, the course will address how to write a fundable qualitative research grant and a qualitative paper. Begins: May 3, 2010 (4 weeks) M•W•F 09h00-12h00, Room 138, Irving Ludner Building, 1033 Pine Avenue West.

Quantitative Methods for Cross-Cultural Research
A. Ryder & R. Whitley

This workshop will provide an overview of the statistical bases and limitations of quantitative methods in the cross-cultural study of mental health and illness. Topics include scale construction and validation, research design, data analysis, and practical considerations in the design of quantitative studies. Relative advantages of correlational vs. quasi-experimental designs, univariate vs. multivariate approaches, and cross-cultural vs. acculturation strategies will be discussed. Special topics include treatment of complex multicultural datasets, methods for evaluating scale invariance, and programmatic integration of quantitative and qualitative methods. The instruction format will include lecture and hands-on opportunities to work with relevant data using SPSS. [Prerequisites: Courses in introductory statistics.] Begins May 12, 2010 (3 weeks) W•F  09:00-12:00, Room 212, Stephen Leacock Building.

Community-Based Participatory Research
A. Macaulay, Jon Salsberg & Kahnawake Community-Researcher Team

This workshop, facilitated by members of the centre 'Participatory Research at McGill' (pram.mcgill.ca) together with Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project researchers and community members (www.ksdpp.org/), will address participatory research based on their experiences. Topics will include: participatory research theory; building and maintaining healthy respectful partnerships; developing collaborative project strategies from design through dissemination; ownership of research data; maximizing benefits and minimizing community risks; capacity building and sustainability and increased knowledge translation. The development and application of the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project Code of Research Ethics will be included. Obligations of researchers and community partners will be discussed in the context of the ethics of respecting individuals and community. Date: May 31, 2010 (6 hours) M 09h00-16h00. This workshop takes place in Kahnawake, but students are required to present themselves to Room 138, Irving Ludmer Building, 1033 Pine Avenue West, by 8:00 in order to be transported as a group to Kahnawake.

Global Mental Health Research
D. Pedersen, L. Kirmayer, & Guest Faculty: G. Bibeau (Université de Montréal); S. Kutcher (Dalhousie U.); V. Patel (LSHTM, UK); M. Tousignant (UQAM)

The seminar and workshop will provide an introduction to key issues in global mental health research in low and middle income countries (LMIC). Current health system responses to mental health needs will be presented, using WHO Atlas data, regional summaries, and more detailed narratives of case studies from sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Global mental health research requires cross-disciplinary skills and a solid knowledge of the social determinants of mental health, use of research methodologies (both qualitative and quantitative) adapted to resource-poor countries, cross-cultural sensitivity and competency in negotiating roles and expectations with collaborating partners in LMICs. This course will survey: a) the global burden of mental illness; b) relationships between mental disorders, substance abuse, medical illness, and other health conditions; c) connections between macro- and micro-social determinants of mental illness; d) innovative policies and interventions for decentralization of health resources and implementation of community-based care, including packages of care for specific disorders and comprehensive programmes of mental-health care for groups at risk; e) adaptations of research methods across different cultures, regions and levels of development; and f) basic approaches to establishing partnerships, grant writing and obtaining funding in global mental health research. The course will include lectures, discussion of readings, and case study presentations by faculty and students, supplemented by films. Begins: June 1, 2010 (30 hours) T, W, Th, F  09h00-17h00. Room 102, Social Studies of Medicine Building, 3647 Peel Street.

Guest faculty

Renato D. Alarcon, M.D., Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

Kamaldeep Bhui, M.D., FRCPsych, Professor of Cultural Psychiatry & Epidemiology at the Research Centre for Psychiatry at St. Bartholomew's Hospital & The London School of Medicine.

Gilles Bibeau, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Anthropology, Université de Montréal; Co-chair, International Network for Cultural Epidemiology and Community Mental Health.

James Boehnlein, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Oregon Health and Science University & Associate Director for Education, VA Northwest Network MIRECC, Staff psychiatrist, Intercultural Psychiatric Program.

Sylvaine de Plaen, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Université de Montréal; Consultant, Out-Patient and Consultation-Liaison Services, Hôpital Ste-Justine.

Suman Fernando, M.D., Honorary Senior Lecturer in Mental Health at European Centre for Migration & Social Care, University of Kent.

Joseph Gone, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.

Ghayda Hassan, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).

Frederick Hickling, M.B.B.S., D.M., M.R.C.Psych., F.R.S.M., Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of the West Indies, Mona.

Devon Hinton, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry. Harvard Medical School and Masschusetts General Hospital.

Sushrut Jadhav, M.D., Ph.D., M.R.C.Psych., Senior Lecturer in Cross-cultural Psychiatry, University College London.

Stanley Kutcher, M.D., Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health, IWK Health Centre, Dalhousie University.

Myrna Lashley, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, John Abbott College; Research Associate, Culture and Mental Health Research Unit, Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital.

Alain Lesage, M.D., M.Phil., Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Université de Montréal, Centre de recherche Fernand-Séguin de l'Hôpital L-H Lafontaine.

François Lespérance, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, University of Montreal; Chief of Psychiatry, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montreal.

Roberto Lewis-Fernandez, M.D., Director, NYS Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence, and Hispanic Treatment Program, NY State Psychiatric Institute, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University.

Francis Lu, M.D., Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco.

Kwame McKenzie, M.D., Senior Scientist, Social Equity and Health Research Section, and Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto.

Vikram Patel, M.Sc., MRCPsych, Ph.D., FMedSci., Professor of International Mental Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London.

Andrew Ryder, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal.

Marian Shermarke, M.S.W., M.Sc., M.A., Social Worker, C.L.S.C.-Côte des Neiges (Service d'aide aux réfugiés immigrants Montréal métropolitain, SARIMM).

Carlo Sterlin, M.D., Director, Transcultural Psychiatry Service, Hôpital Jean Talon; Consultant, C.L.S.C.-Côte des Neiges.

Robert Whitley, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth University, New Hampshire.

McGill faculty

Please see our Faculty web page for more information.

Lawrence Annable, Dip. Stat., Professor, Division of Psychopharmacology, Department of Psychiatry.

Alain Brunet, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry; Researcher, Psychosocial Research Division, Douglas Hospital Research Centre.

Nancy Frasure-Smith, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry; Senior Research Associate, Montreal Heart Institute; Invited Researcher, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Research Centre.

Kia Faridi, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry.

Guillaume Galbaud du Fort, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology & Biostatistics; Researcher, Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Community Studies, Sir Mortimer B. Davis—Jewish General Hospital; Psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University Health Centre.

Ian Gold, Ph.D., Associate Professor & Canada Research Chair in Philosophy and Psychiatry.

Danielle Groleau, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry; Research Associate, Culture and Mental Health Research Unit, Sir Mortimer B. Davis—Jewish General Hospital.

Jaswant Guzder, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry; Head of Child Psychiatry, Sir Mortimer B. Davis—Jewish General Hospital; Director, Day Treatment Program in Child Psychiatry; Staff Consultant (former Co-Director), Cultural Consultation Service.

G. Eric Jarvis, M.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry; Director, Cultural Consultation Service, Sir Mortimer B. Davis—Jewish General Hospital.

Suzanne King, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry; Researcher, Psychosocial Research Division, Douglas Hospital Research Centre.

Laurence J. Kirmayer, M.D., James McGill Professor; Director, Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry; Editor-in-Chief of Transcultural Psychiatry; Director, Culture and Mental Health Research Unit, Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry, Sir Mortimer B. Davis—Jewish General Hospital.

Viviane Kovess, MD., PhD., Professor, Department of Psychiatry, McGill (part-time) & Director, Fondation MGEN pour la santé publique, Paris, France.

Eric Latimer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry; Researcher, Psychosocial Research Division, Douglas Hospital Research Centre.

Karl Looper, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry; Research Associate, Department of Psychiatry, Sir Mortimer B. Davis—Jewish General Hospital.

Nancy Low, M.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry.

Ann C. Macaulay, M.D., Professor, Department of Family Medicine; Director of Participatory Research at McGill, and previous Scientific Director Kahnawake Centre for Research and Training in Diabetes Prevention.

Ashok Malla, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry & Canada Research Chair in Early Psychosis, McGill University; Director, Clinical Research Division, Douglas Hospital Research Centre.

Toby Measham, M.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor, Division of Social & Transcultural Psychiatry. Department of Psychiatry.

Céline Mercier, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Director of New Information Technologies and Research, Centre de réadaptation Lisette-Dupras.

Lucie Nadeau, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Social & Transcultural Psychiatry Department of Psychiatry.

Duncan Pedersen, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry; Associate Scientific Director, International Programs, Douglas Hospital Research Centre; Scientific Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health.

Michel Perreault, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry; Researcher, Psychosocial Research Division, Douglas Hospital Research Centre.

Amir Raz, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry.

Charo Rodriguez, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine.

Ellen Rosenberg, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Research Associate, C.L.S.C.- Côte des Neiges.

Cécile Rousseau, M.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor, Division of Social & Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry; Director, Transcultural Child Psychiatry Clinic.

Norbert Schmitz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry; Researcher, Psychosocial Research Division, Douglas Hospital Research Centre.

Brett Thombs, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry; Research Associate, Culture and Mental Health Research Unit, Sir Mortimer B. Davis—Jewish General Hospital.

Ashley Wazana, M.D., Department of Psychiatry, Montreal Children's Hospital.

Allan Young, Ph.D., Professor, Departments of Social Studies of Medicine, Anthropology, and Psychiatry.

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