Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care President and CEO Carol Lambie and Board Vice Chair Ernest Vaillancourt are pleased to announce that the board has approved the recruitment of Dr. Kevin Young, an innovative and inspiring leader, as the hospital’s new Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief of Staff.

Dr. Young will replace Dr. Nadiya Sunderji who is being welcomed to her new position as Waypoint’s President and CEO June 13, 2022. As Waypoint’s current Medical Director of Integrated Care and the Physician Lead for the North Simcoe/Muskoka Specialized Geriatrics Services (SGS) program, Dr. Young has been an integral part of Waypoint’s physician leadership since 2017 collaborating with, and supporting psychiatrists, general practitioners, specialists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and all levels of leaders and staff across the hospital.

“As a valued and respected leader in our region and the province, we are excited to announce Dr. Young’s appointment to this senior leadership role,” notes Lambie. “Dr. Young joined Waypoint full-time in September 2019, expanding upon his part time role as the Physician Lead for SGS. He has influenced quality of care throughout the hospital by strengthening holistic person centred care increasing our capacity for supporting the physical health of patients, worked with SGS leaders and partners to launch a digital health initiative for residents in long term care facilities and their families to reduce isolation during the pandemic, and has influenced provincial thinking on standards of care for seniors.”

Dr. Young received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Toronto and went on to do postgraduate training in geriatrics and general internal medicine. He also has a PhD in Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. He serves as the co-medical director for the Provincial Geriatric Leadership Office and is a recognized author, collaborator, presenter and teacher. He has a strong academic background holding an academic appointment at McMaster, and contributing to the training of University of Toronto Family Medicine learners. Dr. Young has published many peer reviewed publications including for Nature Medicine, the Journal of Immunology and the Journal of Molecular Medicine.

“Dr. Young has been an extraordinary leader throughout Waypoint’s pandemic response, with visible impacts on quality of care, staff morale and engagement, organizational culture and trust, including vaccine education, retention through redeployment, and managing outbreaks including on the psychogeriatric Horizon Program,” says Dr. Sunderji. “He demonstrates a strong commitment to Waypoint, our values and the strategic plan. Over many years, he has contributed to system transformation, building and strengthening new and existing partnerships in our region through SGS, the Central Ontario Health Team for Specialized Populations, Ontario Health Central, and with acute care hospitals, primary care and community partners alike.”

In recognition of his contributions, he was recently awarded both Waypoint’s Core Value award for Leadership and the Jane Chamberlin award for leadership from the Association of General Hospital Psychiatric Services. His background and contributions will add to the diversity of experiences and perspectives of the hospital’s senior leadership team.