Canadian Psychiatrists Welcome Dr. Nizar Ladha as New Association President

TORONTO, Sept. 26 /CNW Telbec/ - Dr. Nizar Ladha was inaugurated this weekend as president of the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA) for 2010-2011. The exchange of office from Dr. Stan Yaren to Dr. Ladha took place at the CPA's 60th Annual General Meeting in Toronto, Ontario, September 23-26.

A psychiatrist at the Waterford Hospital in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador since 1980, Dr. Nizar Ladha blends both general and forensic psychiatry into his practice. Forensic psychiatry is a branch of psychiatry concerned with the intersection of mental illness and the law. He has testified as an expert witness in over 500 court cases at all court levels in Newfoundland and Labrador as well as Ontario. He is the Head of the Forensic Psychiatry Division of Eastern Health in Newfoundland.

Educating people is a career-long passion for Dr. Ladha. An associate professor at Memorial University, a position he has held for over 25 years, he was the psychiatry department's Director of Continuing Medical Education until 2010. He has educated nurses, social workers, lawyers, judges and family doctors about psychiatric disorders and is often called upon by media to speak on mental illness. He is Vice-Chair of the Mental Health Council for Newfoundland and Labrador.

Dr. Ladha is an Inaugural Fellow of the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA) and has served on many Association committees over the past 30 years. He has been a member of the Scientific and Research Standing Committee (formerly the Scientific Council), the Standing Committee on Professional Standards and Practice (formerly the Professional Standards and Practice Council) and has served three terms on the CPA Board, the present is his fourth term. He also chaired the local organizing committee of the 1989 annual CPA conference and was Chair of the Forensics Section, testifying before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice on mental disorder amendments to Canada's criminal code.

Originally from Tanzania, Dr. Ladha obtained his medical degree from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland in 1972. During an international internship in St. John's he was charmed by Newfoundland and met his future wife. He graduated from psychiatry at Memorial University in 1978. After a brief one-year fellowship in forensic psychiatry at the University of Toronto, he returned to the province that had captured his heart.

The Canadian Psychiatric Association is the national voice for Canada's 4,100 psychiatrists and more than 600 psychiatric residents. Founded in 1951, the CPA is dedicated to promoting an environment that fosters excellence in the provision of clinical care, education and research.

For further information: Hélène Côté, Canadian Psychiatric Association, Tel: [phone] or [email protected]