Staff Psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry

Dr. Korczak is the SickKids’ Chair in Child and Youth Medical Psychiatry, Director of the Children’s Integrated Mood and Body (CLIMB) Depression Program, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Associate Scientist at the SickKids Research Institute, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Her research activities focus on depression and suicide prevention among children and adolescents, and the association of adolescent-onset depression with premature cardiovascular disease. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Korczak has led a large collaborative initiative examining the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of children with and without pre-existing mental health conditions. Dr. Korczak is the author of over 80 publications and book chapters and is a sought after speaker on the topics of depression and suicidality among children and adolescents for clinical and research audiences. She is the Chair of the Research and Scientific Committee for the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Chair of the Mental Health Task Force of the Canadian Paediatric Society. 

Education

• 2012: M.Sc., McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada (Field of Study: Health Research Methods)
• 2006: FRCP(C), University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada (Field of Study: Psychiatry)
• 2004: FRCP(C), University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada (Field of Study: Paediatric Medicine)
• 2000: MD, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada (Field of Study: Medicine)

Experience

• 2020–Present: Chair, Research and Scientific Program Committee, Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• 2018–Present: Chair, Mental Health Task Force, Canadian Paediatric Society
• 2010–2019: Director, Paediatric Postgraduate Teaching Program in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2022: Scientific Advisor (Children’s Mental Health), Ontario COVID-19 Science Table Providing scientific expertise and advice to inform school and screen time policy recommendations for children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic
• 2012–2018: Editorial Board, Children and Youth New to Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (in partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada and CIHR)

Achievements

• 2021: Dr. Sam Wong COVID Certificate of Merit, Canadian Paediatric Society, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Distinction). For National Leadership in Child Health and Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
• 2019–2022: Academic Scholar Award, Department of Psychiatry – University of Toronto
• 2016–2018: O’Brien Scholarship in Child and Youth Mental Health Research, The Hospital for Sick Children and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

1. Tsujimoto KC*, Cost KT, LaForge-MacKenzie K, Anagnostou E, Birken CS, Charach A, Monga S, Kelley E, Nicolson R, Georgiadis S, Lee N, Osokin K, Arnold P, Schachar R, Burton C, Crosbie J, Korczak DJ. School and learning contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for child and youth mental health. Current Psychology. 2022 Nov, 1-17.
2. Madigan S, Korczak DJ, Vaillancourt T, Racine N, Hopkins WG, Pador P, Hewitt J, AlMousawi B, McDonald S, Neville R. Comparison of paediatric emergency department visits for attempted suicide, self-harm, and suicidal ideation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2023. Co-Author.
3. Korczak DJ, Perruzza S, Chandrapalan M, Kirkpatrick SI, Tracey M, Cost K, Cleverley K, Birken C, McCrindle BM. The association of diet and depression: an analysis of dietary measures in depressed, non-depressed, and healthy youth. Nutritional Neuroscience. 2022 Sep; 25(9):1948-1955.
4. Korczak, DJ, Madigan, S, Vaillancourt, T. Data Divide - Disentangling the Role of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Child Mental Health and Well-being. JAMA Pediatrics. 2022;176(7):635–636.
5. Orlando L*, Savel K*, Madigan S, Colasanto M*, Korczak DJ. Dietary patterns and internalizing disorders in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Australian and New Zealand. Journal of Psychiatry. 2022 Jun, 56(6):617-641.

See a full list of Daphne Korczak's publications.