Dr. David Conn
Vice-President, Education ; Director, Centre for Education and Knowledge Exchange | Baycrest
Toronto, ON, CANADA
An expert and author specializing in training psychiatric and behavioral problems encountered by medical and non-medical staff.
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Biography
Dr. David Conn is the vice-president of Education and inaugural director of the Centre for Education and Knowledge Exchange in Aging at Baycrest. He is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto and the founding Co-Chair of the Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health and Chair of the Coalition’s National Guidelines Project.
Dr. Conn completed his Medical Degree at Trinity College, Dublin, and his training in psychiatry was carried out at the University of Toronto. He subsequently completed a Fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
He joined the Department of Psychiatry at Baycrest in 1983 and served as department chief from 1992 to 2010. He also served as vice-president of Medical Services at Baycrest from 2007 to 2010. He was the medical director of the Mood and Related Disorders Clinic from 2004 to 2012. He has a keen interest in telemedicine and is medical director of Tele-health Services at Baycrest.
Dr. Conn’s academic interests include nursing home psychiatry, guideline development and knowledge translation. He is the author or co-author of more than 100 publications and is the co-editor of three textbooks including "Practical Psychiatry in the Long-Term Care Home: A Handbook for Staff”.
He received the 2005 Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry Award for Outstanding Contributions to Geriatric Psychiatry in Canada and a Distinguished Service Award from the International Psychogeriatric Association in 2009. He has also received the Ivan Silver Award for Excellence in Continuing Mental Health Education and the Henry Durost Award for Excellence in Creative Professional Activity from the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. In 2010 he was co-recipient of the CIHR Betty Havens Award for Knowledge Translation in Aging.
Dr. Conn is a past president of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry and is currently a Board member of the International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA). He chairs the IPA Task Force on Mental Health Services in Long-Term Care Homes and co-chairs the IPA Education Committee.
Industry Expertise (7)
Mental Health Care
Elder Care
Health Care - Providers
Health Care - Facilities
Research
Health and Wellness
Education/Learning
Areas of Expertise (3)
Geriatric Psychiatry
Aging and Depression
Geriatrics
Accomplishments (6)
Recipient – Outstanding Contributions to Geriatric Psychiatry in Canada (professional)
2005-04-30
In 2005, Dr. Conn received the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry Award for Outstanding Contributions to Geriatric Psychiatry in Canada. This award recognizes a geriatric psychiatrist who has made a significant contribution to geriatric psychiatry through education, research or innovations in service delivery.
Recipient – Distinguished Service Award (professional)
2009-09-01
In 2009, Dr. Conn received the Distinguished Service Award from the International Psychogeriatric Association. The award recognizes people who have demonstrated inspiration, leadership, vision, ethics, innovation, organizational development and motivation in areas of Psychogeriatrics.
Recipient – Betty Havens Award for Knowledge Translation in Aging (professional)
2010-11-01
In 2010, Dr. Conn received the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Betty Havens Award for Knowledge Translation in Aging. The award honours and supports the exemplary knowledge translation efforts and activities of an exceptional individual, team or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to improving the health of individuals, providing more effective health services and products and strengthening the health care system at a national or international level.
Vice-President, Education ; Director, Centre for Education and Knowledge Exchange – Baycrest (professional)
Headquartered in Ontario and fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest is the global leader in developing and providing innovations in aging and brain health. Baycrest is unique in the world, combining a comprehensive system of care for aging patients, one of the world's top research institutes in cognitive neuroscience, dedicated centres focused on mitigating the impact of age-related illness and impairment, and unmatched global knowledge exchange and commercialization capacity.
Steering Committee Co-Chair – Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health (professional)
The Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health (CCSMH) is hard at work ensuring that seniors' mental health is recognized as a key Canadian health and wellness issue. Working with partners across the country, the CCSMH is busy facilitating initiatives to enhance and promote seniors' mental health. The mission of the CCSMH is to promote the mental health of seniors by connecting people, ideas and resources.
Board of Directors – International Psychogeriatric Association (professional)
The International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA), founded in 1982 and representing more than 66 countries, is a unique and diverse professional healthcare community promoting better geriatric mental health – across disciplines, across borders, and across geriatric issues. IPA promotes research and education, facilitates an international exchange of ideas on Psychogeriatric issues, and fosters cross-cultural understanding of the latest developments in the field.
Education (1)
Trinity College, Dublin: M.D.
Links (1)
Event Appearances (11)
Aging and Depression
Aging, Innovation and the Mind Toronto, Ontario
2010-05-13
Maintaining A Positive Mood
Insights Into Aging 101 Toronto, Ontario
2012-05-29
Paving the Way to Improve Seniors’ Mental Health: Overview of the Canadian Coalition for Seniors Mental Health National Guidelines
Dr. Ira Pollock Clinic Day and Wulf Grobin Memorial Lecture Toronto, Ontario
2007-06-08
Sexual Expression in Long-Term Care Settings: Clinical and Ethical Issues
American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry Annual Meeting Honolulu, Hawaii
2009-03-08
Improving the mental health of older adults: How can we maximizeour impact?
The U of T Department of Psychiatry Professorial Lecture Series Toronto, Ontario
2011-09-05
KEYNOTE SPEECH
Mindful Care II...A Psychogeriatric Conference Brandon, Manitoba
2004-09-30
Mental Health and Aging
Sex, Aging & Memory: Canada's First Women's Brain Health Conference Toronto, Ontario
2011-10-18
Baycrest Centre of Learning, Research & Innovation in LTC: An Overview
OLTCA Research & Education Day Toronto, Ontario
2011-11-23
Psychotropics in Older Adults: What’s Best—What Benefits?
Taboo Topics: Time to Take Charge McMaster University
2011-09-21
Optimizing mental health in long-term care homes
Gazing into the crystal ball: The future of aging in Ontario Toronto, Ontario
2011-06-02
Dementia Care: Behavioural Support Systems
Long Term Care Applied Research Education Day Toronto, Ontario
2010-11-23
Sample Talks (2)
Mental Health and Aging
There is evidence that there is a connection between a positive attitude towards aging and longevity! This session will explore factors connecting age and mood, help dispel the myth that depression is a normal part of aging, and offer strategies for maintaining a positive mood as you age. Treatment of depression in older adults will also be reviewed.
Psychotropics in Older Adults: What’s Best—What Benefits?
This session will focus on the benefits versus the risks of utilizing psychotropic medications in older adults, including antipsychotics, antidepressants and benzodiazepines. Approaches which aim to optimize patterns of prescribing in LTC Homes will also be addressed.
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