Fresh support fuels continuation of integrative Buddhism and Psychiatry fellowship

A pioneering postgraduate medical educational opportunity that explores the integration of traditional Buddhist practices with conventional mental health care will continue to be offered by the University of Toronto’s Department of Psychiatry, thanks to a new donation from the Buddhist Education Foundation of Canada (BEFC).

The foundation’s most recent gift, which was announced at a gathering hosted by the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry in August, will support a new BEFC Fellow in Buddhism and Psychiatry during the 2024-2025 academic year. The gathering was attended in-person and online by Buddhist community representatives from Toronto, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States.

“This fellowship enables trainees to learn Buddhist philosophy and teachings while exploring their potential benefits for mental health,” says Kenneth Fung, a professor of cultural psychiatry at Temerty Medicine and a staff psychiatrist at UHN’s Toronto Western Hospital, as well as the academic lead for the BEFC Fellowship in Buddhism and Psychiatry.

“With its millennia of wisdom and practice, Buddhism offers invaluable insights into finding meaning in life’s suffering. The BEFC Fellowship in Buddhism and Psychiatry provides a space for trainees to integrate these teachings within the framework of Western psychiatric practice.”

As Fung explains, mindfulness — a central aspect of Buddhism — has been increasingly embraced by Western medical practitioners in recent decades to support health and well-being. Extensive research on the subject provides strong evidence of the mental and physical benefits of mindfulness practices, paving the way for the exploration of other Buddhist teachings and their potential applications in psychiatry.

As BEFC Fellows in Buddhism and Psychiatry, early-career psychiatrists are supported as they grow their understanding of Buddhist practices, ethics, and theory, as well as Buddhist approaches to trauma. They also study and explore new treatment models, and gain practical experience applying Buddhist principles and practices in individual therapy.

Ultimately, explains Fung, the fellowship hopes to attract new practitioners to this emerging integrative field and enable the development of novel treatment approaches that can improve health outcomes for patients living with many different forms of mental illness.

A longstanding partnership

This fellowship represents just the latest in a long line of initiatives the BEFC has supported at U of T since the grassroots community organization was first established in the early 2000s to raise funds for U of T’s Buddhist Studies Program. Since then, BEFC has also championed New College’s Buddhism, Psychology and Mental Health Program, as well as Emmanuel College’s Shi Wu De Professorship in Chinese Buddhist Studies, Buddhist Master of Pastoral Studies Program, and Applied Buddhist Studies Initiative.

“Our fundraising focus over the years has been on the promotion of personal and community mental health and well-being,” says Chris Ng, president of the BEFC.

“We believe that a deeper understanding of the teachings of Buddhism in contemporary society, through the promotion of education, is an essential ingredient for building a more mentally healthy and compassionate community. My colleagues and I are looking forward to continuing to support this fellowship into the future, including potential international collaborations.”

“We are so grateful to the BEFC for their renewed support,” says Benoit Mulsant, Professor and Labatt Family Chair of Psychiatry at U of T. “Their continued partnership means so much for us as we work to improve our understanding of the mind and mental illness.”

From Personal Interest to Professional Application

Daniel Hughes, who started as the BEFC Fellow in Buddhism and Psychiatry in July 2024, will be the third early-career psychiatrist to pursue this specialized training opportunity since the fellowship’s establishment in 2015.

As Hughes explains, his interest in the intersection of Buddhism and psychiatry was sparked by his personal experience – having first begun meditating to support his own wellbeing during his early medical school training. This soon transformed into a consistent daily meditation practice that also included regular meditation retreats. But, after choosing to pursue residency training in psychiatry, Hughes started to see his practice’s increasing relevance to his clinical life.

 “Being more connected to my own experience seemed to help me support people better,” says Hughes. “I also noticed that concepts I was learning from Buddhist psychology kept coming up in my clinical work. Lots of things my patients were struggling with were mapping onto concepts Buddhists have been reflecting and contemplating for thousands of years. It actually seems almost harder to try and find a domain where a Buddhist viewpoint would not have something to offer.”

As the new BEFC Fellow in Buddhism and Psychiatry, Hughes will be supported as he furthers his understanding of Buddhist psychology through advanced study at U of T and other institutions. He also plans to pursue specialized training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy – which has natural alignments with Buddhist psychology -- as well as to explore dialectical behavior therapy and addiction psychotherapies like community reinforcement approach psychodynamic psychotherapy.  

Hughes will also work alongside Fung in his clinical practice, as well as see care seekers through the Toronto Centre for Applied Buddhism – the BEFC’s sister organization that serves as an educational hub for mindfulness and counselling. Founded in 2019 at the recommendation of the inaugural BCEF Fellow in Buddhism and Psychiatry, Albert Allen, the Centre hosts BEFC fellows during their training, providing a place where they can provide Buddhist-informed psychotherapy and community mental health services, all of which are offered to students and other community members free-of-charge.

“I hope to be able to incorporate all of the above into my clinical practice, and to continue to approach psychiatric practice through this integrative lens – ultimately increasing access to mental health services that incorporate Buddhism as a means of supporting mental wellbeing,” says Hughes.