Northern Mental Health and Substance Use Conference

Dr. Caroline Dance first developed a passion to work with individuals experiencing neuropsychiatric conditions prior to medical school, in her role as a community care aid. Her undergraduate degree in English (BA) and work in community programming supporting artistic expression emphasized the role of understanding each person's unique story and experience of their illness. After completing medical school at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2020 she entered UBC Psychiatry residency based in Prince George. Throughout her residency she pursued her interest in Neuropsychiatry by way of educational, academic, and elective experiences. Dr. Dance is now entering her final year of Psychiatry residency and her first year of Neuropsychiatry Fellowship. In the future, Dr. Dance hopes to provide patient-centered neuropsychiatric care to individuals living in rural and underserved communities.

Dr. Dmitri Zanozin finished medical school in Moscow, USSR and internship in South Africa. He did mostly surgery and trauma in South Africa for 7 years and came to Canada as a family doctor. He has done Rural Family Practice with ER for 25 years. He completed his Psych residency in Prince George. After residency, he has been working in areas of Early Psychosis, Consultation-Liaison, addictions, and adolescent psychiatry.

Dr. Emma Crowley works as a family physician, FP-OB, and addictions physician with a particular interest in Perinatal Substance Use. She spends most of her clinical time working in Prince George in a variety of settings, but also does some work at BC Women's Hospital.

Greg Dubord, MD is the leading advocate of medical CBT—the integration of cognitive behavior therapy’s tested techniques into normal family practice appointments.

Dr. Dubord is the CPD Director of CBT Canada and the Director of the Fellowship in Medical CBT (FMCBT). Under Dr. Dubord’s leadership, CBT Canada won the National CME Program Award of the College of Family Physicians of Canada for the Certificate in Medical CBT (CMCBT), and CBT Canada became the first institution authorized by the CFPC to provide three-credits-per-hour CME.

In addition to nearly 25 years of teaching with the University of Toronto’s Department of Psychiatry, Dr. Dubord regularly gives workshops for eleven other Canadian medical schools. He has provided medical CBT workshops at every Family Medicine Forum since FMF began in 2000 (usually several per year; now over 50 FMF workshops total). He has led trainings in all ten provinces—along with the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut—and in over a dozen overseas countries. In total, Dr. Dubord has presented over 500 full-day (or longer) workshops on medical CBT.

Dr. Dubord completed his orthodox CBT training under CBT’s founder, Dr. Aaron T. Beck, and was the first Canadian Fellow of the Beck Institute. In the late 1990s the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry (now CAMH) recruited Dr. Dubord to establish the Advanced CBT Institute. He is a recipient of the University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry’s Continuing Mental Health Education Award, and the CME Teacher of the Year award from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine.

Dr Heather Siemens graduated in 2018 from the UBC Northern Family Practice Residency Program in Prince George and started working at the Northern Regional Eating Disorder Clinic soon after. She works with a diverse team of interprofessionals to provide community treatment in Prince George, and regional assessment and treatment management across northern health.

When she is not working at the eating disorder clinic or her obstetrics and family practice, Heather enjoys spending time with her family, her garden and her animals.

Dr Laila Drabkin (she/her/hers) is currently completing Psychiatry Residency training through UBC and is based in Vancouver. She previously obtained a degree in Biology Psychology and then completed medical school through the UBC Island Medical Program. Prior to entering medical training, she worked in community based roles supporting youth and families, which left a lasting impression on the importance of interdisciplinary team based care, creative solutions, and play. Though the majority of her training has taken place in larger city centers, she has been grateful to connect with rural communities through outreach clinics and electives throughout medical training. In her role as the Outreach Representative for the UBC Psychiatry Residency Program, she aims to expand the connection of other residents to rural training opportunities as well. Dr Drabkin is now entering her final year of Psychiatry residency and her first year of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship through UBC.

Dr. Lauri McCoy, MD. CFPC COE
Medical Lead for Specialized Older Adult Services.

Specialized in the care of Older Adults, I work with my own private practice patients, at the University Hospital of Northern BC providing consultative services and with UBC to teach both residents and medical students in the care of the elderly. I am also partnered up with the Alzheimer's Society of Canada and we have recently completed the National Dementia Guidelines for Primary Care Providers. I am pleased to work with a great team of allied health professionals and geriatric psychiatrists and GP COEs at our SOAS Clinic.

I am a life-long resident of Prince George and spend my time working a self-sustaining farm operation. When time permits, I play in the vast outdoors both on my Placer Claim and spending time hunting and fishing. It is an honour to be asked to present at this years' conference.

Dr. Lawrence Fredeen is originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and has called Prince George home for thirty-two years. He took over a solo Family Practice in 1992, which included several patients on methadone treatment. This led to an increasing awareness of the need for effective addiction treatment in all realms of medicine, including Family Practice, Emergency and Obstetrics. Addiction Medicine is now a major focus of Dr. Fredeen’s practice.

Dr. Fredeen has been certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (2010 - present) and is an active member of the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine. He functioned as the Regional Addiction Medicine Lead for the Northern Health Authority (NHA) from 2002 - 2023, which included the initiation and development of the Nechako Opioid Agonist Treatment Clinic (OAT). He started and developed the Northern Viral Hepatitis Clinic and functioned as its Medical Director from 2002 to 2010. He was a Peer Practice Assessor for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC from 2011 to 2017, where he reviewed OAT prescription practices of provincial physicians. He was also a member of the Methadone Maintenance Committee for the College of Physicians and Surgeons, developing policies and procedures around OAT prescribing in BC. He is a Clinical Associate Professor with the University of British Columbia, instructing medical students and family medicine residents on the topics of Hepatitis, Addiction and Family Medicine.

Dr Fredeen continues his work with the Regional Addiction Medicine Program through NHA and with his busy Family Practice which is now shared with three other physicians. On the rare times he has off, he enjoys traveling with his wife and family and spending time at the cabin on Bednesti Lake.

Matthew Burkey is a child and adolescent psychiatrist with an interest in public health focused on the mental health needs of rural youth and families. He completed his MD, PhD and MPH at the Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine and Public Health, and has been practicing in BC since 2016. His clinical practice is based in Williams Lake, and he is the Medical Lead for Child/Youth Mental Health for Northern Health and for Interior Health. He enjoys exploring the outdoors with his partner and 3 daughters.

.

.