Improving the Lives of Those
Living with Brain Disorders
The Ontario Brain Institute is a provincially funded, not-for-profit organization that accelerates discovery and innovation, benefiting both patients and the economy. Our collaborative ‘team science’ approach promotes brain research, commercialization and care by connecting researchers, clinicians, industry, patients, and their advocates to improve the lives of those living with brain disorders.
Message from the Executive Team
“Together, we’ll further improve clinical care, support the development of relevant enterprises, advance new treatments and products to the market, and streamline knowledge exchange from researcher to patient, and patient to researcher.“
Hugh MacKinnon, Board Chair
Marcia Moffat, Vice Chair
“At OBI we take a great deal of pride in helping to take the innovative work that happens in the confines of a lab and translating it into real life – ultimately better supporting individuals with brain disorders as well as their families and caregivers.”
Dr. Tom Mikkelsen, President & Scientific Director
From Laboratory Innovation to Real Life Impact
At OBI we nurture collaborations because innovative ideas are more likely to be realized when diverse skills and abilities are working together towards a common goal - accelerating discovery and innovation. The following stories celebrate a few notable examples of how OBI’s “lab to life” philosophy can change lives – and benefit all Ontarians.
Breakthroughs in Labs and Lives – OBI’s Integrated Discovery Programs
OBI’s Integrated Discovery Programs bring together researchers, clinicians, industry partners, patients and advocates to accelerate discovery and drive innovation in the understanding, care and treatment of brain disorders. Through collaboration these networks are enabling breakthroughs – in research labs and in the lives of people living with brain disorders. Read more about our six focus areas:
Unlocking the Power of Data Sharing Through Global Collaboration
Data about the brain is only as good as the programs
and processes that enable it to be put into practice.
Given that such data is often collected from disparate sources, uniting it into a bigger, global picture can be challenging. – READ MORE
Bringing New Technology to Life - A Giant Leap for Elder Care
In the most rewarding relationships, everyone brings something to the table. When OBI partners with other organizations, we consider the ways each party can be of value to a mutually shared goal. – READ MORE
Building Capacity for High Quality Health Care by Supporting Community-Led Programs
One of the themes that dominates OBI’s work is that we can’t do it alone. Strategic partnerships are critical to bringing research and innovation from lab to life. And one of those valuable partnerships is with the community. There’s tremendous need for support outside the clinical setting, and community programs play a vital role in helping those living with brain disorders access this support. – READ MORE
OBI’s Impact at a Glance
The difference OBI’s work makes to brain health and to the lives of Ontarian’s living with a brain disorder can be seen through some impressive numbers over the past year.
Featured
*Cumulative data March 31, 2019.
30 x 30 at OBI
We all know that physical exercise is important for maintaining good health. But it’s good for your brain as well! Physical exercise can help protect existing brain cells and promote the growth of new cells, that results in improved memory, attention and decision-making. Couple physical activity with being outdoors in nature can help reduce anxiety and stress.
August 2018, OBI completed a 30x30 challenge, where staff were asked to spend 30 minutes outdoors for 30 days. OBI participated in 18 distinct activities, with hiking being the most popular one.
OBI Commutes
From public transit to running, OBI staff used six different modes of transportation to get to work. This includes eight team members utilizing public transit, six walking, five cycling, three taking the train, one running and only one driving to work each day.
Keeping it Social
Socializing isn’t just fun to do, it’s good for your brain too! We work many of the same areas of our brain participating in social activities as we do in intellectual activities. Some studies suggest individuals with robust social lives have better memory retention and cognitive abilities later in life. Forming and maintaining close social ties may help reduce the risk of developing anxiety and cognitive decline in older age. OBI staff participated in 11 activities this year with five of them involving food!
OBI Reads
Reading is an excellent activity to promote and maintain good brain health. The mental stimulation and sustained attention required to read may help reduce cognitive decline and improve functional connectivity – keeping you sharp and flexible in your thinking. Some of our favourite books read were:
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Thinking Fast & Slow by Daniel Kahneman
The Dark Tower by Stephen King
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Celebrating the life of Dr. Donald T. Stuss
As an internationally respected neuropsychologist, Dr. Stuss expanded scientific understanding of brain function, injury and rehabilitation. We honor his immeasurable impact and enduring legacy at The Ontario Brain Institute, Baycrest, Sunnybrook and the Toronto Dementia Research Alliance.
“The brain isn’t neck up, its an individual in society – Understanding who you are, deciding how you behave and experience love and laughter.”
-Dr. Donald T. Stuss
Board of Directors
Featured
Founders
Dr. Donald T. Stuss
Founding President & Scientific Director
Ontario Brain Institute
Joseph L. Rotman
Founding Chair of
the Board
Ontario Brain Institute
Lawrence and Frances
Bloomberg
Mount Sinai Hospital
Sydney and Florence Cooper
Baycrest
Gerald and Geraldine Heffernan
University of Toronto
William and Susanne Holland
Holland Bloorview
Richard M. Ivey
Western University
Robert and Linda Krembil
University Health Network
Arthur and Sonia Labatt
The Hospital for Sick Children
Joseph and Sandra Rotman
Ontario Brain Institute
Lawrence and Judith Tanenbaum
Brain Canada
Eli Lilly Canada Inc.
GE Healthcare Canada Ltd.
GlaxoSmithKline Inc.
IBM Canada Ltd.
Medtronic of Canada Ltd.
Nestlé Health Science
Canada
Pfizer Canada Ltd.
Valeant Canada LP
Science Advisory Council
Dr. Joseph T. Coyle (Chair)
Harvard University
Dr. Huda Akil
University of Michigan
Dr. Anna Barrett
Kessler Foundation
Dr. John Hardy
University College London
Dr. Joseph B. Martin
Harvard University
Dr. Trevor Robbins
Cambridge University
Industry Advisory Council
Todd Vienneau (Chair)
Senior Director, Medical, Regulatory & Quality, Insulet Canada
John Andrews
President and Chief Scientific Officer, Neuraxon Inc.
Allen Lalonde
Sr. Executive, IBM Canada Innovation & Director,
IBM Canada Research & Development Centre, IBM Canada Ltd.
Genevieve Lavertu
Director, Legal,
Scientific Affairs and
Business Development,
Medtronic of Canada Ltd.
Alison McLean
Country Business Manager, Nestle Healthcare
Doron Sagman
Vice President, Research and Development, Eli Lilly
Amyn Sayani
Director, Research and Development Alliances, GlaxoSmithKline
Cynthia Stewart
Manager, Academic Partnerships, GE Healthcare
Anne Vivian-Scott
President and CEO, BKIN Technologies
Lisa Wilcox
Regional Director, Medical Affairs, Pfizer Canada Inc.
Outreach Advisory Committee
Dr. Martin Buxton
Brunel University
Richard Ellenson
Dr. Anas El Turabi
McKinsey & Company
Dr. Cara Altimus
Milken Institute
Dr. Kathryn Graham
Alberta Innovates
Brenda Flaherty
The Change Foundation
Brain-CODE Advisory Committee
Dr. Ann Cavoukian
Executive Director, Privacy By Design Centre of Excellence, Ryerson University
Dr. Charles Peck
Neuroinformatics Consultant, Chief Scientist, Neuromentix
Dr. Sean Hill
Director, Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, Centre for Addiction & Mental Health
Dr. Rodrigo Lopez
Web Production, European Bioinformatics Institute
Dr. John Mattison
Assistant Medical
Director & Chief Medical Information Officer,
Kaiser Permanente
Analytics Advisory Committee
Dr. Gary Bader
Associate Professor at the Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto
Dr. Vince Calhoun
Executive Science Officer and Director, Image Analysis and MR Research, The Mind Research Network
Dr. Marni Freeman
Director, Health Economics & Outcomes Research, Medical Division, GlaxoSmithKline
Darrell Johnson
Vice President Data Science - Business Solutions, Medtronic
Dr. Stinus Lindgreen
Bioinformatics Specialist, Lundbeck
Dr. Patrick Martin
Director of the Database Systems Lab, Queen’s University
Dr. Daniel Zikovitz
Sr. Solutions Architect, GE Healthcare
