Sunnybrook scientist awarded Betty Havens Prize for Knowledge Mobilization in Aging from CIHR

Dr. Mark Rapoport, a psychiatrist and associate scientist at Sunnybrook, has been awarded the 2023 CIHR Institute of Aging Betty Havens Prize for Knowledge Mobilization in Aging, in collaboration with Baycrest’s Dr. Gary Naglie for their work on the Driving and Dementia Roadmap.

The award honours Betty Havens, a leading gerontologist who was committed to improving the lives of seniors with notable achievements in health services research on the aging process. This prize recognizes an individual, team or organization that has advanced the mobilization of research in aging at a local or regional level.

The Driving and Dementia Roadmap is a first-of-its-kind, free, online resource launched across Canada to empower older adults living with dementia to make informed decisions about when to stop driving. Launched in 2022, this resource brings together information, videos, worksheets and other materials to help navigate the decision in a way that honours the individual while involving their family or close community.

"This is a one-of-a-kind Canadian resource that provides strategies to help individuals manage the emotional and practical aspects of the decision to stop driving,” says Dr. Rapoport. “The website addresses common concerns about a loss of independence or identity and can also help individuals make a plan to continue with their daily activities, even if they’re not driving anymore.”

The Driving and Dementia Roadmap was developed by CCNA’s Team 16, led by Drs. Rapoport and Naglie with funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and in partnership with the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.