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Joint OPA & CAAP Addictions Conference
Event: Innovation in Concurrent Disorders
Date: Saturday, November 22, 2025
Time: 7:30am - 5:00pm ET
Location: Vantage Venues, 150 King St. West, Toronto, ON M5H 1J9
Early Bird deadline extended to October 17, 2025.
Program
This program is subject to change.
| Time | Session Title | Presenter(s) | Moderator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30 - 8:30 am | Breakfast, Registration & Networking | ||
| 8:30 - 8:40 am | Introduction & Housekeeping | Dr. Valerie Primeau | |
| 8:40 - 8:50 am | Opening Remarks from the OPA Chair | Dr. Karen Shin | |
| 8:50 - 10:10 am | Featured Session #1: Innovative Treatment Approaches for Cannabis Use Disorder and Cannabis-Induced Psychosis |
Dr. Phil Tibbo Dr. Tony George |
Dr. Rob Tanguay |
| 10:10 - 10:40 am | Refreshment Break, Networking & Visit Exhibitors | ||
| 10:40 am - 12:00 pm | Featured Session #2: Alcohol Use Disorder and Depressive Symptoms, What Should Clinicians Do? |
Dr. Nick Mathew Dr. Marlon Danilewitz |
Dr. Valerie Primeau |
| 12:00 - 1:00 pm | Lunch & Visit Exhibitors | ||
| 1:00 - 1:30 pm | CAAP President Plenary: Early High-Risk Substance Use, Trauma and Concurrent Mental Disorders -- the role families can play? | Dr. Reinhard Michael Krausz | Dr. Angela Ho |
| 1:30 - 2:50 pm | Featured Session #3: The Use of Involuntary Treatment Interventions in Severe Substance Use Disorders |
Dr. Rob Tanguay Dr. Valerie Primeau |
Dr. Karen Shin |
| 2:50 - 3:20 pm | Refreshment Break, Networking & Visit Exhibitors | ||
| 3:20 - 4:40 pm | Featured Session #4: Shaping Tomorrow: Policy, Innovation, and the Future of Addiction Psychiatry |
Dr. Leslie Buckley Dr. Vijay Seethapathy |
Dr. Valerie Primeau |
| 4:40 - 4:50 pm | Closing Remarks & Conclusion |
Dr. Valerie Primeau |
Presenters
Dr. Marlon Danilewitz
Dr. Marlon Danilewitz is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, department of psychiatry and the associate medical director of general psychiatry at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences. He works clinically as a general psychiatrist and also has expertise in concurrent disorder and occupational psychiatry.
He is the conference co-chair for the Canadian Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting and co-chair of the Canadian Psychiatric Association’s section on addiction psychiatry. Dr. Danilewitz completed his psychiatry residency and fellowship in addiction medicine at the University of British Columbia.
He is a clinical researcher with a special focus on concurrent disorders. He has published over 50 peer reviewed articles to date. He is a dynamic and highly sought after speaker. He is the recipient of multiple local, and national awards for his research, leadership and teaching.
Dr. Tony George 
Dr. George is Professor of Psychiatry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto (UofT), and Senior Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). He joined the Yale Psychiatry faculty in 1998, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2004. In 2006, he moved to UofT and CAMH as the inaugural Chair in Addiction Psychiatry, which he held until 2012. He has held several leadership positions, including as Chief of Schizophrenia (2008-16) and Addictions (2016-19) Divisions and Medical Director of the Complex Mental Illness Program (2012-16) at CAMH, and Co-Director of the Brain and Therapeutics Division in the UofT Department of Psychiatry (2006-2018). Dr. George’s research focuses on understanding and treating substance use disorders in people with serious mental illness. He has published over 360 peer-reviewed articles, reviews and other reports. His work has been funded by NIDA and CIHR since 1999. From 2021-2023, he served as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee at the Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA). He wrote the chapter on Nicotine and Tobacco in Cecil Textbook of Medicine in the last four editions (2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023). He is Co-Principal Editor for Neuropsychopharmacology (NPP), an official journal of The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP).
Dr. Phil Tibbo .jpg)
Dr. Tibbo is a Professor of Psychiatry and the Dr. Paul Janssen Chair in Psychotic Disorder at Dalhousie University, Halifax NS. He is also the Director of Research for the Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University and President of the Canadian Consortium for Early Intervention in Psychosis (CCEIP). Dr. Tibbo’s research include studies of individuals at the early phase of, and individuals at risk for, a psychotic illness. He is a recipient of the Michael Smith Award from the SSC, the 2017 CAMIMH Champion of Mental Health Research/Clinician award and the 2018 RCPSC Specialist of the Year (Region 5).
