Renowned psychiatrist to join Waypoint as Medical Director Outpatient Services

After an extensive search process, Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care is pleased to announce Dr. Samantha Kelleher has accepted the position of Medical Director, Outpatient Services and will be joining the hospital on Oct. 2, 2023. Dr. Kelleher’s focus will be to lead clinical transformation, innovation and community capacity building to improve access to specialized care within the Outpatient portfolio.

“Waypoint’s Clinical Services enabling plan sets the stage for us to nurture strategic and clinical partnerships, build more system capacity, and lead and support the development of integrated systems of care and integrated pathways,” says Dr. Kevin Young, Vice President, Medical Affairs & Chief of Staff. “Dr. Kelleher brings extensive experience in inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care, as well as emergency psychiatry. Her contributions will be very timely as we seek to expand access to excellent care throughout people’s care journeys through a ‘Waypoint without walls’.”

Dr. Kelleher joins us from her most recent role as general psychiatrist with Guelph Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. She has practiced in a variety of clinical settings in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario including in inpatient and outpatient care in eating disorders, outpatient general psychiatry, inpatient care, and emergency psychiatry. Dr. Kelleher has served in Medical Director roles for the Eating Disorders Program in Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as the Psychiatric Intensive Care and Centralized Psychiatric Consultation Service for Adults in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She also held the roles of Chief of Psychiatry-Specialized Elective at Homewood Health Centre and Staff Psychiatrist at the University of Guelph. 

Dr. Kelleher has been active in teaching in both British Columbia and Manitoba. This has included lecture-based sessions as well as clinically based teaching and supervision. She has held academic positions including Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Year Three Director for Undergraduate Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia; Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Associate Dean for Professionalism and Diversity in the Max Rady School of Medicine, University of Manitoba. In addition, Dr. Kelleher was a Deputy Registrar with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia between 2011 and 2013.

”Dr. Kelleher is an exceptional and innovative leader who will be instrumental in mentoring young leaders and advancing clinical service excellence in our outpatient programs and we are thrilled she is joining our team,” notes Dr. Young.

Dr. Kelleher has a Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of Manitoba, as well as a Registered Nurse Diploma from Grace General Hospital School of Nursing. She completed her residency at the University of Manitoba and subsequently completed additional training in eating disorders and physician health in Vancouver, British Columbia.