Meet our new Platform Director of Physical Sciences
Following an extensive international search, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Bojana Stefanovic as the new Platform Director of Physical Sciences at Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI), starting September 1, 2020.
Dr. Stefanovic is a renowned scientist and a global leader in developing new methods for imaging brain function. She began her career with SRI in 2007 and is currently a senior scientist in the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program. Dr. Stefanovic is also a professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Neuroimaging. She is the first woman to be appointed as a platform director at SRI.
“Bojana’s combination of leadership qualities, scientific achievements, respect from her peers and dedication to mentoring the next generation of scientists make her ideally suited to lead the Physical Sciences platform,” says Dr. Kullervo Hynynen, Vice President of Research and Innovation at SRI.
Dr. Stefanovic’s research focuses on the development of new methods for quantitative in vivo imaging of brain function, including high-field functional MRI, two-photon fluorescence microscopy, and extracellular recordings for tracking function of cellular components of the neurovascular unit over the course of neurodegeneration in transgenic models of Alzheimer’s Disease, during the chronic stage of recovery in rodent models of focal ischemia, and following traumatic brain injury.
Dr. Stefanovic received her PhD in biomedical engineering from McGill University and her B.A.Sc. in electrical engineering from the University of British Columbia. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and joined Sunnybrook in October 2007. Dr. Stefanovic co-leads Team 7 of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging and is an Officer of the International Society for Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism.
Outgoing Interim Platform Director Dr. Simon Graham has been overseeing the Physical Sciences platform since the beginning of this year. “We would like to thank Dr. Graham for his excellent leadership over the last several months, particularly during this challenging time,” says Dr. Hynynen.
