We are thrilled to announce that we have hired Dr. Ian Nicholson to be our new Director for the Centre for Mental Health Research. Dr. Nicholson is a clinical psychologist who has forged a renowned and distinguished career focusing on the advancement of professional psychology, with a particular interest in issues of training and professional advocacy. He has worked at London Health Sciences Centre since 1990 as a front line psychologist in General Outpatient Psychiatry, Affective Disorders, and Consultation-Liaison Mental Health. During that time, he also served as the Manager of Psychology for over 15 years and as the Director of Clinical Training for the Victoria Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre, and London Clinical Psychology predoctoral residency training programs. A Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), Dr. Nicholson has built a stellar reputation provincially and nationally within the field of psychology for his impactful leadership as past president of both the Ontario Psychological Association and the Canadian Council of Professional Psychology Programs. He currently serves as the Chair of the College of Psychologists of Ontario’s Jurisprudence and Ethics Examination Committee. Dr. Nicholson has received numerous honours and awards during his career, including the Award for Special Recognition for Distinction in Psychology Internship Training from the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (2004) and the Award for Excellence in Internship Training from the Canadian Council of Professional Psychology Programs (2013). We look forward with much excitement to welcoming Dr. Nicholson as our new CMHR Director beginning on January 12, 2015.
We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to our outgoing Director, Dr. Walter Mittelstaedt. Dr. Mittelstaedt provided excellent leadership during his six years of service as Director, during which he helped to oversee a period of unprecedented growth and development in the CMHR. We wish him well in his new role as Director of Campus Wellness at the University of Waterloo.
