$1.5 Million to Brain Sciences Research at Sunnybrook

A $1.5 million donation to the Sunnybrook Foundation from Mrs. Ada Slaight and the Slaight Family Foundation will support the construction of a new Brain Imaging Research Centre at Sunnybrook. The centre will give scientists a new window into the brain, and new hope to those afflicted with stroke, dementias and mood disorders.

"My mother and the Slaight Family Foundation are giving... to honour the patient care and dedication to research shown by Dr. Sandra Black and the neurology team," says Mr. Gary Slaight. "Dr. Black and her team are remarkable professionals who need the infrastructure and support to innovate and translate that innovation into improved care. We are thrilled to be supporting them and Sunnybrook."

Known internationally as a leading cognitive neurologist and clinical researcher in stroke and dementia, Dr. Black is the research director of the Brain Sciences Program at Sunnybrook. She is also the interim director of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario Centre for Stroke Recovery, of which Sunnybrook is a major partner. "This gift... will allow the Brain Sciences team to search for information that is crucial for finding the cures and treatments... for brain disorders. The people of Ontario will benefit greatly from the generosity of the Slaight family," she says.

"Sunnybrook and the Brain Sciences Program are grateful and honoured to receive this generous donation from the Slaight family," says Dr. Barry McLellan, president & CEO of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. "This recognition of Dr. Black is clear acknowledgement of her outstanding level of compassionate and innovative patient care and her pioneering work in the field of neurovascular diseases and dementia."

As the population ages, the number of Canadians living with brain-related conditions is increasing. Sunnybrook's Brain Sciences Program expands on our understanding and management of these disorders of the brain and mind. The program is pioneering new interventions and imaging analysis techniques to optimize brain recovery and rehabilitation.

In recognition of the gift, Sunnybrook Foundation plans to name a research suite and fellowship program in honour of Mrs. Slaight and the Slaight Family Foundation.