Annual Report 2024 - 2025: CPPD Program

Submitted by Dr. Raj Rasasingham, Director of Continuing Professional and Practice Development

It gives me great pleasure to present this report on behalf of our CPPD team. I would like to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to Ann-Marie Rasiwan and Ben Gane for their continued support of this portfolio. Their dedication and hard work have been instrumental in the successes we have achieved this year.

Our CPPD Committee has also played a crucial role in the development and refinement of our programs. I am deeply appreciative of their ongoing contributions. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Anupam Thakur and Dr. Marlene Taube for their outstanding efforts on our Awards Subcommittee.

A special note of thanks goes to Dr. Certina Ho, our Scholarship Director, whose advice, mentorship, and unwavering support have significantly contributed to our advancement as a community of practice.

We are especially pleased to report the completion and accreditation of three psychiatry-specific asynchronous Quality Improvement (QI) modules, developed in close collaboration with the QI Committee. This unique offering addresses a critical need in our field and enhances accessible, self-paced CPD content for our faculty.

In addition, the Interventional Psychiatry Conference marked a significant milestone for our portfolio this year. This highly successful event helped position the University of Toronto as a leader in the emerging field of Interventional Psychiatry, while contributing to both clinical and academic capacity-building in this specialized area.

Our team continues to excel in the accreditation of psychiatry programs, overseeing nearly 900 accredited programs within the department. We are grateful to the faculty for their ongoing content development and contributions to our educational mission.

Our conferences have once again been highly successful, receiving exceptional feedback. Both the Psychopharmacology and Psychotherapy Conferences are now recognized internationally, reaching audiences across four continents. These conferences not only generate substantial revenue for the department but also uphold our reputation for educational excellence. A heartfelt thank you to the conference planning committees for their dedication and hard work. Notably, this conference has previously won the Colin Woolf Award for Program Development and the Dave Davis Research Award.  It has also garnered the COPCE National Programming Award. 

The Future of Psychotherapy Conference was envisioned to explore innovative approaches in psychotherapy, particularly in the areas of scaling up care and leveraging new technologies. We have also used this platform to highlight global health initiatives and bring in renowned speakers from around the world. Last year, this conference was recognized with the CPD Award for Interprofessional Programming.

We are proud to report that our department continues to lead the way at the university level in CPD awards and research grants. A significant contributor to this success has been the establishment of a robust mentorship model within the CPPD Committee, which has led to remarkable academic progress. Currently, four committee members are under consideration for promotion to Associate Professor, and two have already been promoted. The group has also contributed multiple peer-reviewed publications and successful grant applications, particularly in the area of medical education.

We are also focused on building the next generation of CPPD educators through active partnerships with residents and pharmacy students. I am very excited about this collaboration and its potential to shape the future of CPD education.

Our continued collaboration with other universities through COPCE remains a strategic priority. As Past President, I remain involved in shaping a national vision for CPPD, helping to strengthen inter-institutional efforts across Canada.

The City-Wide Psychiatry Grand Rounds continue to thrive, drawing strong engagement from our faculty and the broader psychiatry community. The programming has achieved significant national and international reach, with consistently excellent reviews of our content.

Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Mak and Dr. Martinovic for their ongoing support of our conference programming. A sincere thank you as well to Anny Song, Manager of the Department of Psychiatry, for her invaluable support and guidance throughout the year. I also extend heartfelt thanks to the SAC, PICs, and the Senior Team for their continued advice, support, and leadership across all our initiatives.

Looking Ahead

As we look to the upcoming year, the CPPD portfolio is excited to build on our momentum with several new and expanded initiatives:

• Expand QI and CPPD Offerings on the CPD Platform:
  Building on our recent success, we plan to develop additional asynchronous modules in both Quality Improvement and professional development. These offerings will continue to enhance accessible, high-quality content that supports lifelong learning in psychiatry.
• Advance Suicide Prevention Initiatives within the Psychiatry Community:
  Recognizing the urgent need for targeted education in this area, we will lead new CPD initiatives focused on suicide prevention. These will include clinical education, resource development, and knowledge translation to strengthen competency and support across the psychiatric care continuum.
• Strengthen Mentorship for Trainees in CPPD:
  We will continue to support and mentor psychiatry trainees with a focus on academic growth, scholarly output, and leadership opportunities in CPD. Our goal is to sustain the current momentum and help shape the future leaders of medical education.

With a strong foundation and a clear vision forward, we remain committed to excellence in programming, scholarship, and innovation in CPD.