Associate Director, BC Children’s Hospital Centre for Mindfulness

Joanna McDermid, MD (pronouns: she/her) is a psychiatrist with a subspecialty in child and adolescent psychiatry, and she is a clinical instructor with the Department of Psychiatry at BC Children’s Hospital and the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine in Vancouver, British Columbia. In addition to psychiatry training, Dr. McDermid has done advanced teacher training in Mindful Practice in Medicine program through the University of Rochester. She completed a Contemplative Medicine Fellowship through the New York Zen Centre in 2023. Dr. McDermid has trained in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindful Self Compassion (MSC). Dr. McDermid developed PAUSE (Present Awareness Using Skills Effectively), a flexible modules-based mindfulness program designed to supplement standard care for youth in residential treatment for eating disorders. Dr. McDermid created MARS-PC (Mindful Awareness and Resilience Skills for Parents and Caregivers), a mindfulness program for caregivers whose children are accessing care and support through BC Children’s Hospital.