PsychEd Episode 64: Introduction to Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry with Dr. Raed Hawa and Dr. Alan Wai

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners. This episode covers an introduction to consultation-liaison psychiatry with Dr. Raed Hawa and Dr. Alan Wai, both from the University of Toronto.

Dr. Raed Hawa is an esteemed CL psychiatrist and educator. Dr Hawa's interests are in the areas of undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing medical education. He also practices general sleep medicine with particular clinical interest in the areas of insomnia, co-morbid psychiatric and medical illnesses, and sleep-related movement disorders. He currently serves as the President of the Canadian Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (CACLP) and holds the position of Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Additionally, Dr. Hawa is the Deputy Psychiatrist-in-Chief at the Centre for Mental Health, University Health Network. Dr. Hawa has earned American Board Certification in Psychiatry, with subspecialty certifications in Sleep Medicine and Psychosomatic Medicine (Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry). His expertise and contributions to the field have been recognized through his designation as a Distinguished Fellow of both the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA).

Dr. Alan Wai is a psychiatrist at the University Health Network in Toronto and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. He provides inpatient CL psychiatry care and mental health and psychiatric care embedded in the Immunodeficiency Clinic at Toronto General Hospital, where he sees both persons living with and at risk of HIV. He received his medical degree from the University of British Columbia and completed his psychiatric residency training at the University of Toronto.

The learning objectives for this episode are as follows:

By the end of this episode, the listener will be able to…

1. Outline the history and evolution of CL psychiatry

2. Define the role and scope of CL psychiatrists in diverse medical settings

3. Identify and assess common psychiatric disorders in CL settings

4. Provide differential diagnoses and a general approach to a CL patient through a sample case

Guests: Dr. Raed Hawa and Dr. Alan Wai

Hosts: Annie Yu (PGY3), Sena Gok (MD), and Matthew Cho (CC3)

Audio editing by: Sena Gok

Show notes by: Sena Gok

Interview content:

• Introduction - 00:13
• Learning objectives - 01:09
• First guest introduction - 01:36
• History of CL psychiatry - 03:18
• Subspecialties within