Message from the Chair, Karin Neufeld

Our Department is one of the most vibrant and creative academic departments in Canada, with a distinguished record for over 50 years of innovation, collegial scholarship, academic excellence, and world-renowned programs, which you will learn about in these pages. Our 4 core values – equity, innovation, partnerships and inclusivity - are encapsulated in our vision and in our EDI initiatives while never forgetting that at the heart of everything we do is improving the well-being of the person living with a mental health or addiction problem and their family. During my tenure as Acting Chair, we will continue to focus on our five strategic directions, and our emerging areas of academic excellence are broad, bringing together our programs and faculty to work collaboratively within a common framework.

We work closely with Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph’s Healthcare who support a comprehensive and well integrated network of academically focused health services where much of our teaching takes places, and with other departments across McMaster.  Our work is also enriched by our partnerships with our local community reflecting our commitment to giving something back to Hamilton, and to other communities in Ontario, Canada and abroad.  But our greatest strength is our people – our faculty, staff, and learners - whose dedication, energy, creativity and collegiality create an atmosphere in which academic inquiry can flourish, partnerships and friendships thrive, and which brings out the best in each of us, making McMaster a place we’re all proud to call home.