Mara Smith

Dr. Mara Smith is a psychiatrist who has worked on the Acute Assessment Program at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care in Penetanguishene since 2020. She serves a general adult, acute inpatient population, in a ward that acts as a hybrid between a psychiatric emergency service and short stay crisis stabilization unit.

She completed her psychiatry residency training at McMaster University in 2020 and her Medical Doctorate at Western University in 2012. She earned an Honors Bachelor of Science (with high distinction) from Trinity College at the University of Toronto in 2008, with a specialization in neuroscience and double minors in psychology and sociology. Dr. Smith was born and raised in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where she earned a High School Diploma with first class honors and a French bilingual certificate.

In addition to clinical work, Dr. Smith is involved in teaching activities. She often has availability to take on clinical clerks and residents for their core psychiatry rotations and/or general adult acute inpatient rotations or electives. She serves as co-chair of the Medical Education Committee at Waypoint, which liaises with local UGME and PGME programs to recruit medical learners to Waypoint. She also serves as Waypoint’s representative on the Hospital University Education Committee at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Smith also carries a leadership and administrative role at Waypoint as the Physician Lead for the Acute Assessment Program Transformation at Waypoint. She serves as the physician member on the hospital’s Ethics Committee and co-chairs the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee. She is responsible for representing physician interests during a period of transformation at Waypoint – the opening of a new x20 bed acute mental health ward with the region’s first designated Mental Health ICU beds (formerly called PICU beds).

Dr. Smith enjoys collaborating with clinician and basic scientists in research projects related to mental health. Most recently, she is working with a group on a machine learning project designed to serve as an early warning system for patient escalation in an acute inpatient setting (with the hope being this will help mitigate the need for seclusion and restraint). She was previously involved during her residency in a large neuroimaging study at McMaster looking at women with pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder and bipolar disorder.