Dr. Alexa Bagnell is the Chief of Psychiatry at IWK Health and Professor & Head, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Dalhousie University. She completed medical training at Dalhousie University and post-graduate training at Harvard University, returning home to start her career at IWK in 2003. She is co-founder of the treatment of anxiety group (TAG) program at IWK Health in 2005, and in 2013, established the first obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) clinic in eastern Canada at the IWK to provide evidence-based treatment and consultation services for Halifax and Maritime youth with OCD.
Her leadership focus is on child and youth mental health system continuous improvement initiatives to improve access, inclusivity and quality of care for children and youth with mental health and addictions disorders in our region. Alexa is a strong advocate for mental health education and resources and frequently presents in schools, community and in the media to increase knowledge about mental health and to promote help-seeking in young people.
She is the mother of three boys (now young men) and a proud Nova Scotian.