The psychiatrist who believes in catching it early.

After 30 years as a psychiatrist, I've learned one thing above all else: timing matters. The conditions I see in my office—depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar—rarely show up overnight. They build slowly, often starting in adolescence, hiding behind "normal" life struggles until they've done real damage.

By the time patients reach me, they've usually waited 9–12 months for an appointment. And before that? Often years of being told it's just stress, or being treated for the wrong thing entirely.

That's why my mission is prevention.

I'm a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Alberta, a consultant at Grey Nuns Hospital, and the founder of the Chokka Center for Integrative Health. I've published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, served on national guideline committees, and trained the next generation of psychiatrists.

But what drives me isn't the credentials. It's the patients who tell me, "I think I had this since I was 15. I just didn't know."

I created EarlyDetect because I saw what was missing: a screening tool that looks at the whole person—symptoms, functioning, life circumstances—not just a checklist. It's already ahead of where diagnostic standards are heading.

I believe in a whole-person approach to mental health. That means mind, body, relationships, purpose—and yes, spirit. I don't think our field talks enough about where people find strength when everything else falls apart.

My goal is to help people catch mental health issues early, understand themselves better, and become active partners in their own wellness. Not passive patients waiting for a doctor to fix them.

So my message to everyone is simple: Love your brain.