Dr. Luciano Minuzzi STEVE BUIST
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Dr. Luciano Minuzzi
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Clinical psychiatrist, McMaster University professor, and involved with the Mood Disorders Program at St. Joseph’s Healthcare
After his first shift as a psychiatry resident — and it was a shift that lasted 24 hours, by the way — Dr. Luciano Minuzzi knew he had found his passion.
Minuzzi is a clinical psychiatrist, a McMaster University professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, and he is also part of the Mood Disorders Program at St. Joseph’s Healthcare.
“I’m lucky I do what I love,” said Minuzzi, who grew up in Porto Alegre, a city of 1.4 million in the south of Brazil.
After obtaining his medical degree in Brazil, Minuzzi obtained his PhD in Denmark, spent two years studying in Germany, then arrived at Montreal’s McGill University nearly 10 years ago for a post-doctoral fellowship.
Minuzzi was a member of the team of McMaster researchers who were involved in The Spectator’s Collision Course project earlier this year, which looked at the connections between concussions and the long-term brain trauma in some retired
“In conversation with…” is part of an ongoing series of profiles of interesting local people Spectator photographers and reporters have encountered over the past year.
CFL players. (Answers edited for length.) Q: What attracted you to the field of psychiatry in general and mood disorders specifically?
A: With psychiatry, we are seeing someone as a whole. We are not really studying just one specific organ. Psychiatric disorders change not only the body, but life in general. It has an impact in so many areas of a person’s life. But psychiatric disorders not only have an impact on the person, they also have an impact on family members. I was quite interested in being able to help people. The brain is still a black box. We don’t know what’s inside. There are still a lot of unknowns.
Q: How long have you been in Hamilton and how did you end up here?
A: I was finishing my post-doc in Montreal. I was trying to see if there were any opportunities for me to continue not only practicing psychiatry, but also doing research in psychiatry. I contacted a friend who was actually working here at McMaster, and he suggested I should come here and see if there were any opportunities. I came, had an interview, saw the clinic here and I was really, really interested. That was about seven years ago. Wow, time flies.
Q: What do you enjoy about Hamilton?
A: You know, I had an opportunity to get another job here in Canada when I was already working here. I thought about it and they were even offering a little more money, but I decided to stay here. I’m actually happy here. I enjoy Hamilton and the work we do here at St. Joe’s and McMaster.
What I like about Hamilton is there’s this mix of big city and small city. There are some characteristics of a big city, but most people act like they’re living in a small city. They’re interested in how you’re doing, they ask about you. You don’t see that in a big city like Toronto or São Paulo. I hope we never lose this.
Q: What Canadian customs have you embraced and which ones still seem odd to you?
A: One thing I had never done before was watch hockey. I like sports and when I came here to Canada, I started to watch and it was Montreal, so I followed the Canadiens. I really enjoy watching it, actually. It’s really fast. I learned to really enjoy it.
I root for the Montreal Canadiens, which means I’m not really a big fan of the Maple Leafs (he laughs).
The odd one? I cannot understand how you deal with wintertime. Your attitude to cold weather is still amazing. This morning, it was what -17, and people were smiling on the street. I was thinking it was probably because their faces were frozen like that. I can’t understand.
Oh yes, and this: It doesn’t matter what you say, poutine is not healthy. That’s for sure. It might taste good, but it’s not healthy. Q: What do you miss about Brazil? A: What I really miss about Brazil is the people — my family and friends that I still have there. I miss that most.
And the weather. If we had a little bit more of Brazil’s weather, that would be great. Brazil has been struggling with a lot of social problems and it’s amazing how resilient the people are.
I don’t think it’s something that’s unique about the country, but it’s something that’s very characteristic of the people. There’s a kind of energy that they have.
With psychiatry, we are seeing someone as a whole