Throughout his career, Dr. Gaind has worked in diverse areas to maximize his ability to influence positive change. In addition to working in a hospital setting as a psycho-oncology consultant and chief of department, he has held numerous key leadership positions in provincial, national and international organizations. The University of Toronto has been his academic home for over two decades, from undergraduate through to medical school and postgraduate studies, and he is currently a professor in the temerty faculty of medicine and chief of psychiatry at sunnybrook health sciences centre. Dr. Gaind has also maintained a community-based psychiatric practice since graduating.
While physicians have traditionally developed in one of these areas or another, Dr.Gaind has always held the view that the most effective leadership requires a blend of skills and insights across domains. As he says, "Just as the best patient care does not occur in silos, the best advocacy, medical training and education, and health policy development should not occur in silos - it should be thoughtful, impactful and scholarly, while being clinically relevant for our patients needing care and sensitive to social needs."
By bridging the gap between traditional silos to influence health policies, and working strategically and collaboratively across multiple disciplines with a range of health professionals and policy makers, Dr. Gaind has successfully influenced significant positive change in health policies and care for those with mental illness. Most recently, he was awarded the prestigious ACPC Award for Creative Professional Activity, adjudicated by the university Chairs of the Departments of Psychiatry across Canada, for his scholarly work and advocacy on health systems and on medical assistance in dying policy.
In 2014, Dr. Gaind was honoured to be elected by his peers as President-Elect of the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA), and served as President of the national association 2015 to 2016. In October 2017, Dr. Gaind was elected by the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) Assembly in Berlin to the Board of the WPA as the Global Zone 1 Representative, and in 2020 he was named an Honorary Member of the WPA.
In 2019, and again in 2022, he was honoured to be elected by his Faculty of Medicine colleagues to represent medical teaching staff as a Governor on the University of Toronto Governing Council, and has enjoyed serving with his colleagues on the University’s Business, Academic and University Affairs Boards.
“During my terms as Board member and President of the CPA, I got to know, work with and greatly admire Dr. Sonu Gaind. Sonu brings high energy and dedication to all the tasks he takes on. In approaching problems, even long-standing ones, he is a clear thinker, seeking to develop a clear understanding, and then bring a fresh perspective. He has a track record of saying what needs to be said in a clear yet respectful manner. He has had many successes in organizational affairs, and not only shown personal charm and warmth, but also the ability to structure and motivate an effective team of colleagues.”
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