Dr. Brighid Cassidy, Director

Dr. Cassidy grew up in the lower mainland, with deep roots on the North Shore.   Knowing medicine was her calling from a young age, Dr. Cassidy completed her undergraduate studies in Kinesiology at SFU, doing co-op terms in preclinical research at St Paul’s hospital and QLT Inc, then headed south to lifeguard in Australia before heading to the University of Toronto  for medical school. During medical school, she worked in Zimbabwe, Cameroon and Honduras, participating in public health initiatives and clinical care.  

Knowing she always wanted to move back to the lower mainland, she completed her family practice and emergency medicine fellowship at UBC, then started a locum tenens position at Lions Gate Hospital in fall of 2009, in addition to working in Addictions Medicine on the Downtown Eastside.  While working in the Himalayas, she received a call from Dr. Alec Ritchie, the medical director the LGH ED at the time, offering a full time position at LGH – the rest is history.

Because the LGH ED is a unique and supportive work family, Dr Cassidy has had the opportunity to work in an amazing, collegial environment, while also pursuing international work, including teaching in Belize and Nepal, and pursuing personal interests like completing Ironman Canada 3 times.

Always wanting to return to an original clinical interest and passion of working in Addictions Medicine, and in response to the ever worsening opioid overdose crisis,  Dr Cassidy completed an Enhanced Skills program in Addictions Medicine with UBC Post Graduate Medical Education. In June 2022,  Dr. Cassidy, Dr. Walton and Dr. MacDonald started providing addictions services in acute care at LGH and are currently working on formal program development for the Substance Use and Assessment Team (SUAT) at LGH . Dr. Cassidy also has also recently started working with Vancouver Detox and St. Paul’s Addictions group – an amazing group, providing leading edge care and research.   As the physician lead for Mental Health and Substance Use at LGH ED, she was involved in the development of new Psychiatric Evaluation, Assessment and Treatment Area (PEAT) and is the local lead for the launch of the SURkit (Substance Use Response) program to the ED, working to improve and standardize care for people who use substances across Vancovuer Coastal Health and Providence Health Care.

Dr. Cassidy feels deep gratitude for working with the LGH ED family and hospital as a whole, particularly during the height of the COVID pandemic, and is excited to begin work as the Vice President of the LGH Medical Staff Association.  She lives and plays on the North Shore , the unceded territory of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations,  with her family and 3 dogs.

She is a clinical assistant professor with the Dept of Emergency Medicine at UBC, and clinical instructor with the Dept of Emergency Medicine at the University of Alberta.