About

PROFILE Dr. Katy Kamkar, Ph.D., C. Psych. is a nationally and internationally recognized clinical psychologist and a leading voice in mental health, trauma, resiliency, and workplace psychological safety. From May 2023–May 2026 (Interchange Canada Agreement), she was appointed to an executive position with the Government of Canada as the Federal Associate Organizational Ombudsperson, Mental Health at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), and served as Executive Advisor to the Deputy Minister on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (2023–2024). As of June 2025, she was also the Mental Health Special Advisor, PSPC, Ombuds Office. From January to April 2026, Dr. Kamkar served as Clinical Lead for the Government of Canada's Small Departments and Agencies (SDA), Deputy Heads, Mental Health & Resiliency Pilot. RECOGNITION & HONOURS Dr. Kamkar has been recognized nationally for her leadership and impact in mental health. She received the Canadian Psychological Association’s Award for Distinguished Contributions to Public or Community Service (2022) and a Certificate of Recognition from the House of Commons (2021), among numerous other national honours. Most recently, in 2025, she was awarded the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) Distinguished Service in Mental Health Promotion Award, which celebrates individuals and organizations demonstrating exceptional commitment to supporting communities through innovative and sustained mental health programming. CREDENTIALS & ACADEMIC ROLES She has served as faculty at Osgoode Hall Law School (2019, 2022, 2023) in its Professional Development Program, providing training to lawyers, adjudicators, and investigators on trauma, mental health, and workplace mental health. She holds credentials in Organizational Leadership from Harvard Business School, Workplace Restoration and Investigations from Queen’s University, and Adjudication from Osgoode Hall Law School. She is a Fellow of the Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association (GLEPHA). With 17 years at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital, she is also an Associate Professor in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT — EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP Canada-Ontario Executive Leadership Program (COELP) A partnership between the Canada School of Public Service and the Ontario Public Service December 2025 – May 2026 Dr. Kamkar was selected to participate in the Canada-Ontario Executive Leadership Program (COELP) (December 2025–May 2026), a new initiative developed through a partnership between the Canada School of Public Service and the Ontario Public Service. The program equips high-performing senior leaders with the skills and mindset to lead across federal and provincial contexts, with a focus on strategic leadership, intergovernmental collaboration, decision-making, and service delivery excellence. Selection to this program reflects recognition as a high-performing executive leader with the capacity to contribute to and benefit from cross-jurisdictional leadership development at the federal-provincial level. The program includes virtual peer coaching groups, 360-degree evaluations, instructor-led training sessions, and cross-governmental networking. SDA MENTAL HEALTH & RESILIENCY PILOT — 2026 From January to April 2026, Dr. Kamkar served as Clinical Lead for the Government of Canada’s Small Departments and Agencies (SDA), Deputy Heads, Mental Health & Resiliency Pilot, created in response to Deputy Head survey findings of significant exhaustion and executive isolation. She provided strategic psychological leadership, confidential one-on-one executive check-ins, and resiliency workshops tailored to senior leadership pressures. She designed the Deputy Head Peer Support Network and developed program evaluation tools assessing psychological safety and leadership functioning. Her work is shaping the SDA community’s long-term leadership wellness strategy. She authored the following in connection with this work: ♦Kamkar, K. (2026). Supporting executives under your leadership: Recognizing distress, navigating power, and leading with a trauma-informed approach (Guide for SDA community deputy heads). April 2026. ♦Kamkar, K., & Da Silva, O. (2026). The hidden cost of leadership — Why sustainability starts from within. Canadian Occupational Safety, April 15, 2026. https://www.thesafetymag.com/ca/news/opinion/the-hidden-cost-of-leadership/547435 SPEAKING & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP Dr. Katy Kamkar has delivered over 335 keynotes and presentations, municipal to international, on workplace mental health, organizational and individual resiliency, trauma-informed practices, and mental health disability management. Her speaking engagements include the World Federation of Public Health Associations, Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Associations, House of Commons of Canada, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Global Affairs Canada, Public Service Commission of Canada, Department of National Defence – Canadian Armed Forces, Inter-American Development Bank, United Nations UN Women and the Jamaica Constabulary Force, International Association of Chiefs of Police, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) Leadership Summit, L’ École Nationale Supérieure de la Police (France), and the Global Police Mental Health Symposium organized by the Australian Federal Police. She has also presented for the National Managers’ Community, Network of Executive Women, Health Canada, Public Safety Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada, Statistics Canada’s First Leadership Bloc, the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC) Governance Summit, American College of Healthcare Executives (Canadian Chapter), Forum of Canadian Ombudsman, Association of Canadian College and University Ombudspersons, and the Women in Law Leadership Forum. POLICY, ADVISORY & EXPERT ROLES Her expertise has been sought in high-level labour arbitration and policy conferences, where she provides guidance on psychological distress and accommodations in organizational settings. Dr. Kamkar’s influence extends to the House of Commons, where she was invited in 2018 to share her expertise on juror mental health with the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, and later addressed mental health in the agriculture sector before another parliamentary committee. She has also served as a mental health expert and expert witness at Lancaster House Publishing conferences, contributing alongside legal professionals and union leaders on critical issues related to workplace psychological health. She was competitively selected to serve as a Medical Practitioner for the 2017 Invictus Games launched by Prince Harry, working closely with service members and veterans. NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP She is a founding and credentialed member of the Canadian Association of Cognitive Behavioural Therapies (CACBT). She contributed to Canada’s first Federal Framework on PTSD, published by the Public Health Agency of Canada in 2020. Dr. Kamkar is a member of the Canadian National Panel for the International Union for Psychological Science, past Chair of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)’s Traumatic Stress Sector, and Co-Chair of the Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association (GLEPHA), Health of First Responders/Police. She serves on the boards of Operation Lifesaver Canada and the Canadian Juries Commission and is an Associate Member of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP), sitting on its Research Advisory Committee and Police Psychologist Subcommittee. She also served (2019–2020) on the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) Clinical Sub-Committee, supporting national leadership efforts to improve access to and innovations for evidence-based mental health care for PSP. She was also the Provincial Mental Health Advisor to St. John Ambulance Ontario’s Council and a subject matter expert on the Federal Mental Health Advisory Group (MHAG). Through these roles, Dr. Kamkar’s work continues to shape national and international standards, policies, and practices in trauma-informed care, public safety, and mental health advocacy. LANDMARK APPOINTMENTS & PUBLICATIONS Dr. Kamkar was appointed as the Mental Health Expert to Ontario’s External Independent Panel reviewing Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) culture following a series of officer suicides, leading to 15 national recommendations to advance organizational wellness and suicide prevention. She contributed to the development of the CSA National Standard on Work Disability Management for Paramedics. Her leadership in advancing the mental health of Public Safety Personnel earned her key appointments by the Ministry of the Solicitor General to the Policing and Corrections Mental Health Collaborative Tables and its Joint Knowledge Sub-Committee, where she contributes to evidence-based policy and resource development for frontline responders. She is the co-editor of: Papazoglou, K., & Kamkar, K. (Eds.). (2024). Multi-faceted approaches to challenges and coping in law enforcement: Police badge is one badge (2024th ed.). Springer. A sought-after thought leader, she has completed over 400 media interviews, published more than 200 public-facing articles, and numerous publications on trauma, moral injury, resilience, and workplace mental health. She is a regular contributor to Canadian Occupational Safety and The Globe and Mail’s Women and Work series, amplifying critical conversations and driving systemic change. FEDERAL ADVISORY & GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTIONS She advised federal institutions on trauma-informed practices, workplace psychological safety, and disability management. As a selected subject matter expert, she was instrumental in developing recommendations for the Treasury Board’s national Restorative Engagement Program (REP), supporting the Government’s efforts to address harassment, discrimination, and systemic barriers in the workplace. She also served on two TBS subcommittees: Trauma-Informed, Mental Health and Psychological Safety, and Terminology, Communication, and Accessibility. In addition, Dr. Kamkar is appointed to the Joint Advisory Board for the Centre of Expertise on Mental Health in the Workplace, a partnership between the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Public Service Alliance of Canada, mandated to guide and support federal organizations in advancing evidence-informed workplace mental health. In 2025, she was invited as a subject matter expert by the Canada School of Public Service, contributing to the Leadership Development Program for Black Supervisors. She delivered specialized workshops on trauma-informed facilitation, trauma-informed practice in the workplace, and trauma-informed practice in the classroom. In September 2025, Dr. Katy Kamkar delivered Empowering Managers to Overcome Imposter Syndrome (TRN4-E42) through the Canada School of Public Service in partnership with the National Managers’ Community, engaging over 1,700 registered federal managers across Canada.