#IamMGH – Meet Dr. Jennifer Russel

#IamMGH tells the stories of our people. Meet Dr. Jennifer Russel, Chief of Psychiatry and Medical Director of Mental Health and Substance Use Services at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH).

“I joined Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) in September 2023 as the hospital’s Chief of Psychiatry and Medical Director of Mental Health and Substance Use Services. I also provide clinical support to the Transitional Youth Program, one of MGH’s Mental Health programs.

I’ve had an interesting career journey – I studied business in university. While a business student, I volunteered at a prison and soup kitchen in my spare time, and it was through these experiences that I became passionate about helping marginalized people and decided to shift my career path.

I received a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto, and it was during my post-grad fellowship at the Hincks-Dellcrest Centre (now The Garry Hurvitz Centre for Community Mental Health) that I fell in love with clinical work and decided that I wanted to become a doctor. After attending medical school and doing my residency in psychiatry, I began working as a child and adolescent psychiatrist at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.

I spent 13 years working at BC Children’s Hospital before joining MGH. While I was there, I held the roles of Interim Chief of Psychiatry and Associate Head of Psychiatry, Medical Director of the Adolescent Psychiatry Unit and the inaugural Clinical Director of Compass.

Compass is an innovative service that supports children and youth living with mental health and substance use concerns. This provincial program provides remote support to care providers in smaller communities throughout B.C. and is the first program in Canada that supports providers treating children, youth and young adults (birth to age 25) who are struggling with mental health and/or substance use concerns.

A family doctor may have a patient who needs psychiatric care, but there are no specialized local resources in their area. Compass leans in to support through video or phone to collaborate with the provider with a goal of providing evidence-based care close to home.

Mental health experts from Compass’s multidisciplinary team can provide diagnostic advice, medication recommendations, and in some cases, psychiatric assessment. This ensures youth are getting care close to home, while supporting their local team in navigating a complex mental health system. In 2020, I was honoured to be named one of the Canadian Medical Association’s Physician Changemakers for my work on Compass.

Throughout most of my career, I’ve worked with people who are marginalized and racialized. Many mental health patients experience barriers to care such as stigma, poverty and discrimination. One of the things that has impressed me most about MGH is its focus on supporting marginalized communities and ensuring programs are inclusive and culturally safe.

This has become particularly important since the COVID-19 pandemic, which sparked an increase in demand for mental healthcare that is partially connected to effects of the pandemic such as job loss, grief, fear of getting ill and loss of normal routines.

However, some good that has come from the pandemic is that it enhanced our ability to innovate in healthcare and form new community partnerships. It made us ask important questions like ‘How do we do things differently?’ and ‘How do we improve?’

MGH has strong relationships outside of its walls and understands the importance of bringing community healthcare providers together to provide the most inclusive and accessible care possible. A great example of this is MGH’s partnership at two Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario sites on the Danforth and in Thorncliffe Park, where mental health supports, including psychiatry, are provided in a non-clinical, multidisciplinary environment near home for youth. At these hubs, community partners work together toward a common goal.

At MGH, I can see an appetite for change and innovation. The team here is dedicated and consists of innovative clinicians and staff. You feel that in the programming and even when you walk down the halls.

As I get acquainted in my new role, I’m looking forward to learning more about MGH and meeting more of the inspiring people – staff, volunteers, clinicians, community partners and patients – who make this such a great hospital.”