IAB Members (As of September 9, 2011) - Biographies
Isabelle Brunette, MD (Chair)
Associate Professor
Director of Research and Post-Graduate Studies
Department of Ophthalmology
University of Montreal
Dr. Isabelle Brunette is Associate Professor and Director of research and post-graduate studies in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Montreal, and Associate Director of the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec (FRSQ) Quebec Vision Health Research Network.
She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree, with a concentration in biology (1978), a Doctor of Medicine degree (1983), and a Diploma for Studies in Specialized Medicine, with a concentration in ophthalmology (1987), all from the University of Montreal. Dr. Brunette also received a Diploma for Studies in Specialized Medicine, with a concentration in studies related to the cornea, from the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in the United States.
Dr. Brunette's research program involves clinical and basic science work on corneal transplantation, corneal endothelium, and laser surgery. She is the medical coordinator of the BioFemtoVision Canadian Research Group.
Dr. Brunette is leading a CIHR-funded team that is using laser technology to work on the endothelial layer behind the cornea, without affecting the surface of the cornea. With this technique, only the diseased layer is changed instead of the entire cornea - which is the traditional method. With this team, she is also using tissue engineering technology to grow the patient's own endothelial cells in culture, so that they can then be transplanted back into the patient. Clinical trials in humans, she says, will be possible in the near future.
Jaideep Baines, PhD
Associate Professor
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Senior Scholar
Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Department of Physiology
University of Calgary
Dr. Jaideep Bains, is Associate Professor and Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Senior Scholar, Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Department of Physiology, University of Calgary.
Dr. Jaideep Bains received his PhD from Queen’s University in 1997 and conducted his postdoctoral training at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. He is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary.
Dr. Bains’ lab is interested in understanding how physiological and behavioural challenges lead to long-term changes in neural circuitry in the hypothalamus. In particular, they focus on discerning how the molecules released at the onset of a stressful stimulus leave a lasting imprint on 'stress-relevant' circuitry through short and long-term modifications in the strength of the synapses (synaptic plasticity). Since aberrant activation of stress circuits, and in particular, the hypothalamic-pituitary axis has been implicated in a number of mental health disorders, including depression, a better understanding of the mechanisms that control the hypothalamic command neurons is critical for designing rational therapeutic approaches to these disorders.
Dr. Bains has received the Stevenson Award from the Canadian Physiological Society, is a co-leader of the Epilepsy and Brain Circuits group in the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, has served on CIHR peer review committees and sits on the editorial board for the Journal of Neurophysiology.
Karen D. Davis, PhD
Professor, Department of Surgery
Associate Director, Institute of Medical Science
University of Toronto
Head, Division of Brain, Imaging and Behaviour – Systems Neuroscience
Toronto Western Research Institute, University Health Network
Dr. Davis obtained a PhD in physiology at the University of Toronto (1988), and did postdoctoral training at the Johns Hopkins University (1988-91). Currently she is a Full Professor in the Department of Surgery and Associate Director of the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto, and heads the Division of Brain, Imaging and Behaviour – Systems Neuroscience at the Toronto Western Research Institute. Dr. Davis has also been the Section Head for the 'pain measurement and imaging' division of the journal Pain since 2002. Dr. Davis was a tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Brain and Behaviour from 2001-2011.
The main focus of Dr. Davis's work is to understand the basic neurophysiological and anatomical mechanisms underlying acute and chronic pains, pain-attention interactions, brain plasticity, and the impact of individual versus disease-driven factors through a combination of electrophysiology, psychophysics, and brain imaging approaches. She also has an interest in neuroethics pertaining to brain imaging. She has developed ethics training programs, and created a Graduate Student Oath adopted by the Institute of Medical Science in 2007 and published in Science in 2008.
Dr. Davis is currently an elected member of the University of Toronto Academic Board (2010-13). She has also sat on grant review panels for CIHR, NIH and the Canada Research Chair program, and was inducted into the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars in 2009. She has given over one hundred invited lectures and published in top journal including Nature and Nature Neuroscience.
Suzanne Desjardins Ph.D.
Director of the Office of Research and Surveillance
Controlled Substances and Tobacco Directorate
Health Canada
Since 2003, Dr. Desjardins is the Director of the Office of Research and Surveillance (ORS), Controlled Substances and Tobacco Directorate (CSTD), Health Canada. She is responsible for developing and managing the Directorate's research and surveillance portfolio with regards to alcohol, drugs and tobacco which includes the development of a research agenda, a surveillance strategy and the conduct, collaboration and funding of research initiatives in the field of substance use and abuse. Dr. Desjardins obtained her Ph.D. in clinical sciences from the University of Montreal. She joined Health Canada in 1982 as a research scientist in the field of cardiovascular pharmacology and drug toxicology. After fifteen years as a bench scientist and a research manager, she was appointed Senior Science Advisor and Manager of the Office of Science of the Therapeutic Products Programme of Health Canada where she established several Expert Advisory Committees and appeal Panels and otherwise supported the Canadian drugs and medical devices approval process.
Benedikt Fischer, PhD
Professor and CIHR/PHAC Chair in Applied Public Health & MSFHR Senior Scholar
Faculty of Health Sciences,
Simon Fraser University
Benedikt Fischer, PhD, obtained his doctorate in Criminology at the University of Toronto (1998). Subsequent to his doctorate, he was a Research Scientist and Section Co-Head at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, and held faculty appointments in the Department of Public Health Sciences and at the Centre of Criminology, University of Toronto. Following a faculty appointment at the University of Victoria (2006 – 2008), Dr. Fischer joined the Centre for Applied Research in Addictions and Mental Health (CARMHA) and the Faculty of Health Sciences as Professor in September 2008.
He currently holds a CIHR/PHAC Research Chair in Applied Public Health and is a MSFHR Senior Scholar Career Investigator. He is furthermore an Affiliate Scientist with the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and a Senior Scientist with CAMH. Dr. Fischer is a member of the Institute Advisory Board of the CIHR Institute for Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INHMA), as well as a member of the Science Advisory Board of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
Ms. Deanna Groetzinger
Vice-President, Government Relations & Policy Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
Ms. Deanna Groetzinger is national vice-president of government relations and policy for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. She works with volunteers and staff across the country in meeting the goal of informing people about MS and the work of the MS Society and in ensuring that people with MS have the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of life. She also works with volunteers and researchers to communicate MS research and health information issues and to educate governments about the importance of MS research.
She has an MA from the University of Waterloo in political science with a specialty in communications theory. She worked as a journalist at newspapers in Canada and the United States before joining the MS Society of Canada.
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada is the only national organization in Canada that supports both MS research and services for people with MS and their families. More than 80 percent of MS Society net revenue is devoted to program areas: MS research, services for people with MS and their families, MS clinics, social action, public education and chapter development. The Society has funded research since its founding in 1948.
Kathleen Hegadoren, RN, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Psychiatry
University of Alberta
Dr. Kathy Hegadoren is currently an associate professor with a joint appointment in the Deparment of Psychiatry at the University of Alberta. In 2005, Dr. Hegadoren was awarded a Canada Research Chair in Stress Disorders in Women.
She obtained both a Master of Science degree in neurochemistry and a PhD in Medical Sciences at University of Alberta. After working as a clinical researcher in mood disorders at the University of Toronto, Dr. Hegadoren returned to Edmonton to assume a faculty position in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta.
Dr. Hegadoren has been involved in mental health in the Edmonton region for over 30 years. Most of her clinical background involves child and adolescent psychiatric programs. She has also worked as a mental health consultant for Alberta Health. Her unique background in nursing and basic science training allows her to examine both psychosocial and biological factors in women's mental health. Dr. Hegadoren is the first nurse in Canada to be awarded a Canadian Foundation for Innovation infrastructure grant, which was used to build basic science research facilities within a Faculty of Nursing. These research facilities, as well as her commitment to a broad conceptualization of nursing research, have allowed her to actively participate in multidisciplinary research teams. Of her various research studies, Dr. Hegadoren is also working on a five-year CIHR New Emerging Team grant regarding posttraumatic stress disorder.
Brian A. MacVicar, PhD
Professor, Department of Psychiatry
University of British Columbia
Dr. Brian MacVicar received a PhD from University of Toronto and conducted postdoctoral research at New York University Medical Ctr. He was in the Neuroscience Research Group at the University of Calgary for 20 years before moving to Vancouver 4 years ago. Currently he is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Brain Research Centre at the University of British Columbia. Dr. MacVicar just received the UBC Killam Prize in Research and he holds a Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience and a Distinguished Scholar award from MSFHR. Dr. MacVicar's team has recently discovered a key step in how neurons die during stroke. This is a new and important target for therapeutic intervention in acute stroke. His lab also investigates the cellular mechanisms controlling neuronal excitability and astrocyte regulation of cerebral blood flow using the following techniques: two-photon laser scanning microscopy to image calcium signals and morphological changes; whole cell voltage clamping of neurons and glia in brain slices; and measurement of synaptic responses and plasticity in brain slices. Dr. MacVicar has served as the Chair of the Neuroscience Research Group at the University of Calgary, the Chair of the Neuroscience A Grant Review Committee, CIHR. He is also a member of the Planning and Priorities Committee and a scientific theme leader of the Canadian Stroke Network
Douglas Munoz
Professor of Physiology, Psychology and Medicine
Director; Queen's Centre for Neuroscience Studies
Queens University
Doug Munoz received his Ph.D. from McGill University in 1988 in Neurology and Neurosurgery followed by a Post-doctoral Fellow at McGill and subsequently at the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health. He came to Queen's in 1991 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology. He currently holds a position of Professor in the Departments of Physiology and Medicine, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and is the Director of the Centre for Neuroscience Studies.
The main goals of his research are devoted to: 1) understanding the neural circuitry controlling visual fixation and the generation of saccadic eye movements, and 2) using our knowledge of this circuitry to probe a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimers, Tourette's Syndrome and ALS.
He currently holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair and was awarded the Premier's Research Excellence Award in 1999, the Basmajian Award in 1997 and the Aesculapian Society Teaching Award in 2001. He is currently funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health research, Canada Foundation for Innovation, National Science Foundation and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Doug is also involved in many joint funding initiatives which includes an Ontario Research Fund project and NSERC Create Program. He is an active collaborator with internationally recognized scientists from the United States, Netherlands, Brazil, France and Japan.
Dr. Munoz is currently supervising 6 postdoctoral fellows, 3 Ph.D. students, 4 MSc students and numerous trainees both at the undergraduate level, medical school students and residents. Of his students who have completed their Ph.D's in his laboratory, two were awarded the Governor General's Gold Medal and one was awarded the Lindsley Prize by the Society for Neuroscience for the most outstanding thesis in behavioural neuroscience. These individuals have already been recruited to faculty positions in Canada. Two former postdocs also have faculty appointments in Canada. Many undergraduate research project students and graduate students have moved into professional programs (e.g. Medicine, Optometry) with at least some research training..
Louise Nadeau
Professor
Department of Psychology
Université de Montreal
Louise Nadeau is a full professor in the department of psychology at the Faculté des arts et des sciences de L'Université de Montréal. She is a senior researcher with the RISQ Quebec team for psychoactive substances research and intervention, as well as a clinical researcher affiliated with the Douglas Hospital Research Centre. She sits on the boards of both Èduc'alcool (a member since 1992) and the Alcoholic Beverage Medical research Foundation (a member since 2003), co-chaired the Focus of Women section of the International Council on Alcohol and Addictions (1989-2006) and was vice-chair of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Governing Council from 2000-2006. She was awarded the 2006 prix Marcel-Vincent by Acfas (Association canadienne français pour l'avancement du savoir).
Dr. Nadeau's multicentered, trans-disciplinary work in substance abuse focuses on alcohol and drugs, especially psychiatric co-morbidity, driving under the influence of alcohol effects of psychoactive substances on women. Her work, in its broad sense, aims to promote more effective rehabilitation services and evidence-based interventions with users. Whether working with CIHR, with research results or standing in front of a classroom, Louise Nadeau seeks to understand the interactions between the biological and social aspects of health problems and to promote an integrated approach to understanding health issues.
Eric Racine
Director of the Neuroethics Research Unit
Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal)
Eric Racine is the Director of the Neuroethics Research Unit at the IRCM (Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal) and holds appointments at the University of Montreal (Medicine and Bioethics) and McGill University (Neurology/Neurosurgery and Biomedical Ethics).
Eric Racine did his postdoctoral training in neuroethics at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics and previously studied bioethics, philosophy and social science at the University of Ottawa (Summa Cum Laude) and the University of Montreal.
Dr. Racine leads several projects examining ethical and social issues in research and healthcare sparked by rapid advances in neuroscience and neurotechnology. His research interests include the public understanding of neuroscience and neurological conditions. His book, Pragmatic Neuroethics published at MIT Press (2010), captures his work and views on a number of current topics. Dr. Racine is also an associate editor of the journal Neuroethics. In 2007, he was a visiting fellow at the Brocher Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland and, in 2008, he was a fellow of the International Institute of Biomedical Ethics at Uppsala University, Sweden. Dr. Racine was a member of the scientific committee of the first meeting of the Neuroethics Society and a member of the planning committee of the first Canadian neuroethics conference "Brain matters: New directions in neuroethics" hosted in 2009. He was also a member of the committee on neuropharmacology of the Committee on Science, Ethics, and Technology of the Government of Quebec that reported in 2009.
Sherry Stewart
Professor Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology
Dalhousie University.
Dr. Sherry H. Stewart is a Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at Dalhousie University. She is presently the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Gambling Issues and Associate Editor of the international journals Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Current Drug Abuse Reviews. She serves on the editorial boards of the Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science and Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. Dr. Stewart has recently been re-appointed by Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. She has published over 185 scientific articles, six books, and 26 book chapters.
Gustavo Turecki
Vice-Chair, Research and Academic Affairs, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University
Director, McGill Group for Suicide Studies
Head, Depressive Disorders Program
Douglas Institute
Gustavo Turecki MD PhD obtained his medical degree in 1989, specialty in psychiatry in 1994 and PhD in neurosciences (genetics) in 1999. His research has focused on the study of biomedical risk factors for suicide, with particular interest to the intersection between clinical and basic research. Dr. Turecki holds a William Dawson Chair, heads the Depressive Disorders Program at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and is the director of the McGill Group for Suicide Studies and the Quebec Suicide Brain Bank. He is also the director of the Quebec Suicide Research Network and Vice-Chair of Research and Academic Affairs of the Department of Psychiatry, McGill University. He is the recipient of several scientific awards, including the NARSAD Michael Kaplan Investigator Award, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Distinguished Investigator Award and the Radio-Canada Researcher of the Year 2009 for his pioneering work, in collaboration with colleagues Michael Meaney and Moshe Szyf, leading to the demonstration for the first time that childhood adversity influences epigenetic markings in the human hippocampus. Dr. Turecki has authored over 180 research articles in peer reviewed journals and book chapters and holds a salary award, as well as funding from several national and international agencies, including CIHR, NIH, FRSQ, NARSAD and AFSP. Dr. Turecki's group scientific contributions include the characterization of the role of impulsive-aggressive behaviors in suicide, the identification and characterization of polyamines as a system involved in the neurobiology of suicidal behavior, and the investigation of epigenetics in mood disorders and suicide.
Valerie Verge, PhD
Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology
Director of the Cameco MS Neuroscience Research Center
University of Saskatchewan
Dr. Valerie Verge is a s a neurobiologist, Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology and Director of the Cameco MS Neuroscience Research Center at the University of Saskatchewan. After completing a B.Sc. from Concordia University (1980) and a minor/certificate in computer programming from McGill (1985) she entered graduate studies with Dr. Peter Richardson obtaining a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from McGill University in1990. She then joined the Faculty in the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology at the University of Saskatchewan following completion of postdoctoral studies with Professor Tomas Hökfelt at the Karolinska Institute in 1992.
The design more effective nerve repair paradigms without maladaptive consequences is a major goal of her CIHR-funded research program. She has published of over 60 scientific papers and chapters and over 100 conference presentations. Research to date has characterized the properties and phenotype of sensory neuron subpopulations and changes that occur in response to nerve injury. A major focus has been on identifying and elaborating the pivotal roles that the neurotrophin family of growth factors play in maintaining and modulating the intact phenotype, the functional responses of sensory neurons and their role in setting up effective repair states. Collaborative work has revealed the promise that electrical stimulation holds in peripheral nerve repair and work as part of the CIHR funded Western Canada Regeneration Initiative will extend these findings using nanotechnology. She is also a member of the GEMS group that examines Gene Expression Mapping using Synchrotron technology at the University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Verge is a strong advocate for neuroscience research in Canada. She is a past President of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience, has served on numerous MRC and CIHR committees and currently sits on the Society for Neuroscience Government and Public Affairs Committee.