About Developmental Disabilities Primary Care Program
The Developmental Disabilities Primary Care Program is a program of Surrey Place, Toronto. Surrey Place provides specialized clinical services to children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the Toronto Region. Surrey Place is affiliated with the University of Toronto and other academic institutions and is a teaching site for students in a variety of health care professions.
Vision
Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities have a right to primary care that meets their specific health and developmental needs.
Mission
To develop standards of care, resources and partnerships to improve the primary health care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
What we do
The Developmental Disabilities Primary Care Program
- Provides leadership in promoting primary care of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by identifying areas of priority, healthcare standards and service goals.
- Develops, publishes and promotes clinical practice guidelines for primary care that are informed by ethics, empirical studies, expert knowledge, current research on health care systems and other contexts of care, and perspectives and experiences of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers.
- Curates and develops education materials, tools and resources for health care providers to help them implement the guidelines.
- Serves as a resource to primary care providers regarding health care of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- Develops and supports strategic partnerships with relevant organizations to improve the health and well-being of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
WHO WE ARE
The Developmental Disabilities Primary Care Program is a network of physicians, clinicians, researchers and other professionals with expertise in intellectual disabilities and health, led by
Heidi Diepstra (PhD)
Who develops and leads the program’s knowledge translation strategy, promoting the implementation of research evidence into practice. She received training in knowledge translation and implementation practice at the Hospital for Sick Children, St Michael’s Hospital and the Center for Implementation (Toronto) and brings a systems thinking approach to healthcare improvements. Dr. Diepstra initiates strategic partnerships and collaborations to improve the uptake of the Canadian guidelines for primary care of adults with intellectual disabilities.
Ullanda Niel (MD, CCFP)
Clinical Lead Primary Care for the DDPCP and Chief of Family Medicine at Surrey Place. Dr. Niel has completed a fellowship in the Primary Care of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities at Queen’s University and is a Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto and Queen’s University. She has a clinical practice as a Family Physician at a Community Health Centre and a group home in Toronto.
Anupam Thakur (MBBS, MD, MSc)
Clinical Lead Mental Health for the DDPCP, Psychiatrist- in-Chief at Surrey Place and staff psychiatrist and education scholar at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Dr. Thakur is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. He is also the co-chair of the Developmental Disabilities section in Canadian Psychiatric Association. His research interests are focussed on building capacity and expertise in intellectual and developmental disabilities, leadership development and enhancing medical education using technology.
Connect with us
Would you like to learn more about the DDPCP program? Our team is happy to meet with you or present at your organization. Send us a message at ddpcp@surreyplace.ca