Three Sunnybrook scientists awarded Canada Research Chairs
Three scientists from Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI) have been awarded a Canada Research Chair (CRC), the country’s highest research honour. Dr. Clement Hamani, senior scientist in Biological Sciences and research director of the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Dr. Angela Jerath, scientist in the Evaluative Clinical Sciences and Schulich Heart Program and Dr. Amy Yu, senior scientist in the Evaluative Clinical Sciences and Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program, were all announced as chairholders this fall.
“I am pleased to congratulate SRI’s newest Canada Research Chairs,” says Dr. Kullervo Hynynen, vice-president of research and innovation at Sunnybrook. “All three of these scientists are leading research that is essential to advancing patient care and outcomes across the country.”
Dr. Hamani has received a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair, awarded to world leaders in their field for a seven-year term. Dr. Jerath and Dr. Yu are recipients of Tier 2 Canada Research Chairs, which are awarded to exceptional emerging researchers for a five-year term.
Dr. Hamani, pre-clinical lead in the Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation, was awarded a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Translational Research for his work developing novel applications of neuromodulation techniques for neuropsychiatric disorders. His research uses pre-clinical models and clinical trials to investigate electrical, magnetic, and other physical methods to treat pathologies of the nervous system, including traumatic brain injury, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, pain, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
“It is extremely meaningful to be awarded a Canada Research Chair,” says Dr. Hamani. “This award provides the support to be able to fully commit to research, increases the recognition of our research and enables collaborative efforts with other investigators and universities worldwide.”
Dr. Angela Jerath, also a cardiac anesthesiologist at Sunnybrook, was awarded a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Acute Care Health Technology and Practice Innovation. Dr. Jerath’s work is bridging the gap between emerging health technologies, new practice innovations and real-world application to ensure that new solutions are feasible and directly beneficial to patients at the bedside or at a health policy level. Ultimately her research aims to drive transformative change in the patient care experience and recovery.
“Being recognized with a Canada Research Chair is an incredible honour and really speaks to the dedication of our many teams,” says Dr. Jerath. ”It reaffirms my commitment to not only producing research and advancing the research space, but ensuring those advancements translate to meaningful improvements for patient care.”
Joining Drs. Hamani and Jerath as a new chairholder is Dr. Amy Yu, a neurologist at Sunnybrook. Dr. Yu was awarded the Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Data-driven Design of Stroke Systems. Stroke is a medical emergency, and every five minutes someone in Canada is incapacitated by one. Optimal stroke care requires coordinated health systems, and Dr. Yu’s work uses health data to inform the design of those systems.
“We aim to identify regions in critical need, evaluate various care models, reduce inequities, and ultimately improve stroke care and outcomes in the population,” explains Dr. Yu. “I feel privileged to pursue this work that could help improve the treatment, care, and outcomes for patients with stroke.”
At SRI, Drs. Hamani, Jerath and Yu join existing Tier 1 chairs Dr. Isabelle Aubert, Dr. JoAnne McLaurin, Dr. Greg Stanisz, Dr. Bojana Stefanovic, Burton Yang, Dr. Natalie Coburn and Tier 2 chairs Dr. Meaghan O’Reilly, Dr. Iacovos Michael, Dr. Jesse Chao, Dr. Mark Chiew, Dr. Maged Goubran, Dr. Walter Swardfager, Dr. Chao Wang, and Dr. Harindra Wijeysundera.
