Dr. Karen Saperson is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University. She is a Distinguished Fellow of the Canadian Psychiatric Association and an elected member of the American College of Psychiatrists. She completed her medical degree at the University of Cape Town in 1983. After completing psychiatry residency at Queen’s University in 1992, Dr Saperson held faculty positions at Queens and McMaster University. She has held a number of senior leadership roles at McMaster including Department Vice Chair (2019-2021), Associate Chair Education (2012-2019), McMaster Faculty of Health Sciences Academic representative on the Board of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (2020-2024), Director of the Psychiatry Residency Program at McMaster (2003-2009) and inaugural Program Director for Geriatric Psychiatry at McMaster (2014-2016). She was previously the Academic Head of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at McMaster (2000-2023) and the clinical Head of Service for Seniors’ Mental Health at St. Joseph’s Healthcare from 1999-2009. She has held several national medical education leadership positions, including Chair of the Royal College Examination Board in Psychiatry (2009- 2014) and Chair of the Royal College Specialty Committee in Geriatric Psychiatry (2022-2024) where she has Founder Status for the subspecialty of Geriatric Psychiatry. In keeping with her longstanding scholarly interest in mentorship, Dr Saperson has served as a mentor for many academic physicians. In 2026 she was appointed Medical Advisor at the CPSO.
She is the recipient of several academic awards including the 2025 CAGP Outstanding Contributions in Geriatric Psychiatry Award, the 2023 Dr. Paul Patterson Innovation in Education Leadership Award from the Canadian Psychiatric Association, the 2017 Royal College AMS Wilson Award for Education, the 2012 Association of Chairs of Psychiatry Canada Award for Excellence in Education, and the 2009 Lois Ross Teaching Award from CAIR (Canadian Association Interns and Residents) recognizing outstanding contributions to the advancement of resident life in Canada.
