Dr. Ian Forbes

Prior to obtaining my specialist certification in psychiatry, I worked in primary care, including a staff position at the provincial mental health hospital- Riverview, and much of my work there was psychiatric care. As Medical Officer at Health Canada, I was the Occupational Medicine physician for the federal government employees, where depression and other psychiatric conditions were significant factors in work absence and disability. Later, as a fully qualified specialist in psychiatry, my practice has been mainly hospital based, including ECT and rTMS, but I’ve also provided consultative services for several community mental health teams. My academic position through UBC is Clinical Assistant Professor. Training in rTMS has included certification through the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as well as through the Centre for Mental Health and Addictions (Toronto).

In 1992 I was a semi-finalist in the Canadian Space Agency astronaut recruitment competition.

Outside of work my interests include running, cycling, cross country skiing and spending time with family and friends. And for almost ten years I’ve been volunteering my time in the Union Gospel Mission kitchen.

As part of the VGH Neurostimulation team I’ve been actively involved in the application of rTMS for those suffering from depression, sometimes accompanied with marked anxiety symptoms. Many of our patients have experienced longstanding symptoms that have been quite resistant to treatment while others have presented for care earlier on. Through competent and compassionate care we’ve been able to help many of our patients, even those with the more refractory illness.

BASc (Engineering), UBC, 1979

MD U. of Calgary, 1986

FRCPC (Psychiatry specialist), 2005