Dr. Catherine Zahn, BSc ‘74
President & CEO, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Catherine Zahn is a champion for the integration of psychiatry and neuroscience, and is working to steer mental health care into the mainstream of healthcare. In 2009, she was appointed president and CEO of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Canada’s leading mental health hospital and largest academic health science centre focused on mental illness. For 12 years prior, she held senior executive positions at the University Health Network (UHN).
At CAMH, Zahn has led the transformation of the campus into a modern and respectful hospital facility and has contributed to its reputation for diversity employment, admired corporate culture and healthcare workplace quality.
Zahn has made numerous contributions to health care in Ontario through her leadership in hospital integration, technology assessment, chronic disease management, stroke care coordination, health innovation and mental health care system improvement. She often speaks publicly on mental health issues and makes extensive use of social media to raise awareness and promote equitable healthcare access.
Zahn is a professor at U of T’s Faculty of Medicine and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She received a BSc from York University, and an MD and MSc in Health Administration from the University of Toronto. Recent honours include the Order of Canada and recognition as one of Canada’s 25 most influential women by the Women of Influence organization.
