Throughout his career, Dr. Gaind has worked in diverse areas to maximize his ability to influence positive change.  In addition to working in hospital settings as a psycho-oncology consultant and chief of department at two large toronto hospitals, he has held numerous key leadership positions in provincial, national and international organizations. The University of Toronto has been his academic home for over three decades, from undergraduate through to medical school and postgraduate studies. he is a Full professor in the temerty faculty of medicine and past chief of psychiatry at humber river hospital and sunnybrook health sciences centre. Dr. Gaind has also maintained a community-based psychiatric practice since graduating.

While physicians have traditionally developed in one of these areas or another, Dr.Gaind has always held the view that the most effective leadership requires a blend of skills and insights across domains.  As he says, "Just as the best patient care does not occur in silos, the best advocacy, medical training and education, and health policy development should not occur in silos - it should be thoughtful, impactful and scholarly, while being clinically relevant for our patients needing care and sensitive to social needs."

By bridging the gap between traditional silos to influence health policies, and working strategically and collaboratively across multiple disciplines with a range of health professionals and policy makers, Dr. Gaind has successfully influenced significant positive change in health policies and care for those with mental illness. His impact has continued to be acknowledged nationally and internationally, and in recent years he has been awarded the CINP Ethics Prize, the APA Profile in Courage Award, the APA Distinguished Service Award, and the ACPC Award for Creative Professional Activity for his scholarly work and advocacy on health systems and on medical assistance in dying policy.

In 2014, Dr. Gaind was honoured to be elected by his peers as President-Elect of the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA), and served as President of the national association 2015 to 2016. In October 2017, Dr. Gaind was elected by the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) Assembly in Berlin to the Board of the WPA as the Global Zone 1 Representative, and in 2020 he was named an Honorary Member of the WPA. He is the immediate Past-President of the APA Ontario District Branch, and in November 2025 he joined the Board of Directors of the World Federation for Mental Health.

Dr. Gaind was honoured to be twice elected by his Faculty of Medicine colleagues to represent medical teaching staff as a Governor on the University of Toronto Governing Council, and has enjoyed contributing and serving with his colleagues on the University Executive and the University’s Business, Academic and University Affairs Boards.