Dr. Isabelle Aubert elected into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

October 31, 2022

Dr. Isabelle Aubert, senior scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute, is one of the 71 new Fellows elected into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) this Fall.

The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences brings together Canada’s top-ranked health and biomedical scientists and scholars to make a positive impact on the urgent health concerns of Canadians. The Fellows, drawn from all disciplines across Canada’s universities, healthcare and research institutes, evaluate Canada’s most complex health challenges and recommend strategic, actionable solutions. “Becoming a member of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences recognizes Fellows’ dedication to health sciences,” says Dr. Sioban Nelson, President, CAHS. “We are proud of their accomplishments and we are honoured to welcome them to the Canadian Academy of Heath Sciences.”

Dr. Aubert is a Senior Scientist in Biological Sciences and the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program at Sunnybrook Research Institute and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Brain Repair and Regeneration. At Sunnybrook, she is part of the Centre for Research in Image-Guided Therapeutics, Centre for Excellence in Focused Ultrasound and The Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation. Dr. Aubert is also Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Aubert leads collaborative and interdisciplinary research programs. Her work aims to promote the capacity of aging brain cells to survive, adapt, regenerate, and function. Together with her team of students, post-doctoral fellows, research associates, technicians, and other scientists, Dr. Aubert is exploring brain health and repair using drug, cell and gene therapies. This collaborative work led her to discover that, in addition to serve as a non-invasive approach to deliver therapeutics to the brain, the modulation of the blood-brain barrier with transcranial focused ultrasound can promote the regenerative capacity of the brain. Dr. Aubert’s work is key to the development of clinical trials for patients with Alzheimer disease and other disorders of the central nervous system. She is an advocate of team science, equity, diversity, and inclusion and leads the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology’s Wellness, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (WIDE) committee at U of T.

Dr. Aubert commented, “I am honored by this recognition and delighted at the opportunity to serve as scientist, volunteer, and advocate, for the global advancement of academic health sciences with CAHS Fellows. I feel very grateful towards my mentors, colleagues, trainees, friends and family who inspired, contributed, and supported my scientific journey”.