Dr. Wiesenfeld joined Mount Sinai Hospital in 2004. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto’s (U of T) Department of Psychiatry and has held the position of Psychiatrist-in-Chief for Sinai Health over the past eight years. Dr. Wiesenfeld is also Chair of Sinai Health’s Medical Advisory Committee (MAC).
Over the course of her career, Dr. Wiesenfeld has built a reputation as a leader with notable clinical expertise and high standards of ethical integrity. As the most senior and responsible physician for Sinai Health, she will have accountability for clinical care, professionalism and education for all credentialed staff (physicians, dentists and midwives). As a member of the organization’s executive team, she will also be responsible for strategic priorities, as well as overall direction for Sinai Health.
After receiving her MD from the University of Toronto in 1998, Dr. Wiesenfeld completed general psychiatry residency training, also at U of T. This was followed by a fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. In 2010, she completed a Masters in Health Care Management at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
With a strong foundation of clinical service and relationship building, Dr. Wiesenfeld has shown a passion for improving patient care and academic alignment within the Department of Psychiatry, and right across Sinai Health. She has been integral to many quality improvement initiatives, and has led the launch of initiatives in Addictions, Psychiatric Emergency Services, and Medical Psychiatry. She also served on the Internal Complaints and Review Committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario for nine years, providing direction and expertise on public complaints and physician capacity issues.
Academic collaborations by Dr. Wiesenfeld have been featured in 30 peer-reviewed publications and grants, with particular focus on optimizing the care of older adults who are admitted to hospital; health-care worker well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic; and the safety of hospital workers caring for behaviourally complex patients. As physician lead for Safe Patients/Safe Staff – an award-winning interprofessional program designed to address safety risks within the health-care sector – she was the recipient of competitive provincial grants and Ontario Heath funding for program development. Dr. Wiesenfeld has been recognized by U of T and the American Psychiatric Association for excellence in medical education and program development and has received numerous awards and distinctions for her academic and clinical contributions.
