OTTAWA, Sept. 9, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA) congratulates the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) on electing Dr. Manon Charbonneau to its Board.
"Dr. Charbonneau is a mental health leader, regionally, provincially and nationally. She brings valuable collaborative skills to the Commission—skills that have greatly benefited the CPA's efforts to reduce the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness. The CPA looks forward to furthering its relationship with the Commission and strengthening the ties between psychiatrists and the mental health community as we work together to reduce stigma and improve access to care," said Dr. Suzane Renaud, President of the CPA.
Dr. Charbonneau is a past-president of the CPA as well as the founding and current Chair of the CPA's Stigma-Discrimination Working Group. She has spoken publicly about her personal experiences with depression and stigma, and has contributed to the MHCC's Opening Minds educational video designed for medical professionals. She has also presented to psychiatrists, medical colleagues and the public on her experiences and has developed a workshop to educate physicians about stigma among mental health professionals.
Collaboration has been a hallmark of Dr. Charbonneau's career. As a new graduate she became chief of psychiatry for the regional hospital of Sept-Îles, a rural and remote health centre on Quebec's North Shore. Over the next two decades she developed an innovative system of care using a global, integrated and multidisciplinary approach to provide services to the region's linguistically and culturally diverse population of French and English-speaking Canadians, Métis, Innu and Naskapi.
Dr. Charbonneau was also instrumental in establishing the regional hospital of Sept-Îles as the first hospital centre in a remote area to be accredited and affiliated with the Institut Universitaire de Montréal Louis-Hyppolite Lafontaine. The facility has been educating psychiatry residents for the past 15 years. Dr. Charbonneau is currently the Chief of the Department of Psychiatry of the regional hospital.
The Canadian Psychiatric Association is the national voice for Canada's 4,500 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.
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