Leadership SCRC

« The NHCC has been involved in the development of the CBRS because we believe brain research is the foundation on which new treatments and cures for the hundreds of diseases and conditions that affect the brain can be discovered.« 

Deanna Groetzinger, Manager, Public Affairs & Partnerships at Neurological Health Charities Canada

« Directly or indirectly, every Canadian is affected by conditions such as dementia or stroke and by the mental and behavioural health challenges. That burden is growing steadily. With improved coordination of research and stringent peer-review of funding decisions by Canada’s respected research councils, Canadian taxpayers and donors can be assured that urgently-needed investments in brain and mental health will achieve maximal value. With a unified effort and a meaningful investment in brain science, Canada’s researchers, clinicians and decision-makers in all walks of life will be far better equipped to respond to the urgent needs of 36 million fellow citizens. »

Joyce Gordon, Chair of Neurological Health Charities Canada, CEO of Parkinson Canada
(with Dr. Lynn Raymond, Professor at the University of British Columbia & President of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience 2018,  in The Globe and Mail, February 2018)

Les Organismes caritatifs neurologiques du Canada (OCNC) forment une coalition d’organismes qui représentent les personnes touchées par une maladie, un trouble ou une lésion du cerveau au Canada. Les OCNC jouent un rôle de premier plan aux fins de l’évaluation et de la promotion de nouvelles possibilités de collaboration en matière de sensibilisation, d’éducation et de recherche en vue d’améliorer la qualité de vie des personnes touchées par une affection du cerveau.

« La Stratégie canadienne de recherche sur le cerveau est l’occasion de rassembler toute la diversité des forces du Canada en matière de recherche en neurosciences afin d’avoir un impact significatif sur les maladies et les troubles du cerveau qui touchent tant de Canadiens. En travaillant ensemble, les chercheurs ayant une expertise complémentaire maximiseront la portée de la contribution de chacun à notre compréhension du cerveau.
Des scientifiques de tout le Canada se sont réunis pour proposer une stratégie qui comprend trois initiatives initiales axées sur la formation, le partage des technologies et les données ouvertes. Nous croyons que tous les neuroscientifiques canadiens bénéficieront de ces initiatives. »

Dre Shernaz Bamji, Présidente de l’Association canadienne des neurosciences.

L’Association canadienne des neurosciences est la plus grande association de scientifiques travaillant dans tous les domaines des neurosciences au Canada.

Neuroethics Canada is an interdisciplinary research group dedicated to tackling the ethical, legal, policy and social implications of frontier technological developments in the neurosciences. Our focus is on protecting and ensuring public good by aligning innovations in the brain sciences with human values.

« La SCRC est une initiative de la communauté qui reconnaît les grandes forces de la recherche en neuroscience au Canada et la contribution unique que nous pouvons faire à la compréhension du cerveau en renforçant la collaboration entre chercheurs de toutes les disciplines.  La stratégie canadienne de recherche sur le cerveau a été élaborée par des discussions entre des chercheurs et parties prenantes, qui bénéficient de cette recherche, à travers le pays. Nous avons déjà développé  des initiatives qui transformeront la recherche sur le cerveau. Nous sommes convaincus que cette approche collaborative, ouverte et transdisciplinaire mènera à de nouvelles connaissances sur le cerveau pouvant améliorer la vie des Canadiens. « 

Yves De Koninck, Directeur du Centre de recherche CERVO
et président du comité de direction de la SCRC

La mission du Centre de recherche CERVO de Québec est de faire progresser les connaissances sur les causes et le traitement des maladies neurologiques et psychiatriques, par le développement de nouvelles technologies et méthodologies pour percer les mystères du cerveau et par l’arrimage continu entre la recherche fondamentale et la recherche clinique.

Il s’agit d’un centre de développement d’approches qui permettent la mesure et l’intervention des niveaux les plus basiques – les cellules et les microcircuits – aux conditions de vie réelles, de la façon la moins invasive possible.

« As a member of the Canadian Brain Research Strategy, the HBI has a unique opportunity to collaborate with the very best researchers and clinicians across Canada who are working to understand the brain. It is our goal that together with our CBRS partners, we will make positive impacts on the lives of millions of Canadians living with brain and mental health challenges by translating discoveries into innovative health care solutions. »

Dr. David Park, PhD, Director of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute; Lead, University of Calgary Brain and Mental Health Research Strategy; and Professor, Departments of Clinical Neurosciences and Cell Biology & Anatomy, University of Calgary

The Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) at the University of Calgary consists of more than 150 scientists and clinician-scientists who are dedicated to advancing brain and mental health research and education. The Institute’s research strengths in Brain & Behaviour, Neural Injury & Repair and Healthy Brain Aging are leading to a better understanding of the brain and nervous system and new treatments for neurological and mental health disorders, aimed at improving quality of life and patient care. More information about the HBI can be found at hbi.ucalgary.ca.

The Canadian Brain Research Strategy is an initiative that fosters collaboration among neuroscience researchers across Canada and beyond. It is aligned with The Neuro’s vision of open and collaborative science.  Sharing data, resources, expertise, technology and training opportunities is the best way for researchers and trainees at The Neuro and at other Canadian research centres and institutions to advance our understanding of the brain.  Patients with neurological disorders will be the first to benefit from this concerted effort.

Guy Rouleau, Director – Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital

The Neuro – The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – is a world-leading destination for brain research and advanced patient care. The seamless integration of research, patient care, and training of the world’s top minds make The Neuro uniquely positioned to have a significant impact on the understanding and treatment of nervous system disorders. The Neuro is the first institute in the world to fully embrace Open Science principles.

Canadian neuroscientists have come together to propose a strategy, the Canadian Brain Research Strategy, that will promote collaboration and exchange between laboratories across Canada that work to further our understanding of the brain. This highly collaborative approach has the potential to be game-changing for Canada, by facilitating discoveries that can only be made by combining the expertise of multiple researchers towards a common goal. Canada has a lot to gain by supporting this strategy.

Brain MacVicar, Co-Director of the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health

The Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health brings together experts in the fields of neuroscience, neurology, psychiatry, and rehabilitation in a hub for training, research, and clinical care.

The philosophy of the facility is to work with all facets of brain health because knowledge gained from treating and investigating one disease of the brain will advance our understanding of others. The facility brings research closer to patients, providing British Columbians with better access to the best possible treatments.

« Understanding the brain is one of the most critical challenges facing modern society, one that has the potential to change the lives of the millions of Canadians who suffer from neurological, neurodevelopmental or neuropsychiatric diseases. BrainsCAN partners with McGill’s Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives CFREF initiative, to leverage the expertise of researchers from different fields and to share new technologies and knowledge generated. The Canadian Brain Research Strategy can extend this collaborative approach nationally to harness Canada’s strengths in neuroscience to have a real impact on our understanding of the brain, for the benefit of all Canadians. »

Lisa Saksida & Ravi Menon, Co-Scientific Directors BrainsCAN

BrainsCAN is a CFREF funded neuroscience research initiative located at Western University that aims to transform the way brain diseases and disorders are understood, diagnosed and treated. Through its innovative funding programs and core infrastructure, BrainsCAN is accelerating effective solutions for maintaining a healthy brain.

« Research and innovation are essential for improved child health outcomes, and this is especially true for brain health. We at SickKids are committed to moving research discoveries from laboratories to clinics and into the community. Increased collaboration between researchers and key stakeholders across Canada, as promoted by the Canadian Brain Research Strategy will accelerate discovery research to understand the brain. These discoveries will have an impact on the care of Canadians with brain conditions and diseases, including the children we treat at SickKids. »

Michael Salter, Chief of Research, SickKids Research Institute.

The SickKids Research Institute is committed to improve the health of children, here in Canada and in the global community. Its core values are are research excellence and integrity and its strength is collaboration. It is an environment where top researchers and health care experts work closely together as a team to improve children’s health.

« There is a critical need to combine efforts to understand the complexities of the healthy and diseased brain, and the Canadian Brain Research Strategy aims to bring Canadian neuroscientists together to coordinate research efforts and build capacity towards achieving this goal. The discoveries that will be made through this approach will provide deep insight about brain function, leading to novel treatments for patients in Canada and abroad. »

Keith Murai, Director of the McGill Centre for Research in Neuroscience,
Leader of the Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience (BRaIN) Program at The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

The McGill Centre for Research in Neuroscience (CRN) is a multi-disciplinary research centre that integrates fundamental and translational neuroscience research within a highly interactive environment. The CRN is located at the Montreal General Hospital within the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and focuses on understanding cellular and molecular mechanisms of central nervous system (CNS) function, determining how the CNS is assembled during development, and discovering how it can be repaired in response to injuries and disease.

« Brain research is one of the keys to generating new treatment avenues and to providing the best care for patients with neurological and psychiatric diseases and conditions. The Canadian Brain Research Strategy will strengthen the links between all Canadian neuroscientists through shared knowledge, infrastructure, and data. It provides a framework for researchers across the country to rally together to fight mental illness. »

Gustavo Turecki, Director of the Douglas Research Centre

The Douglas Research Centre is a mental health research facility located within a hospital. The research conducted at the Douglas has a direct impact on the lives of many patients, with major research programs in: Aging, Cognition, and Alzheimer’s Disease; Stress, Mood, and Impulsivity Disorders; Psychosis and Neurodevelopmental Disorders; and Mental Health and Society.

« The Canadian Brain Research Strategy aims to develop a collaborative and coordinated approach to bolster brain research productivity across Canada. We have world-class researchers in our country. Not only is it essential for us to take advantage of the opportunity to learn from one another, but it is also valuable for us to be constantly looking for ways to work together to complement our own work and to help map out a vision for brain research in the future.”

Victor Rafuse, Director of the Brain Repair Centre

The Brain Repair Centre is a research venture whose members share a powerful vision: to discover and develop the means to prevent, repair and even reverse damage to cells and synaptic connections in the brain and spinal cord. In so doing, they aim to provide years of good-quality life to the many thousands of people who suffer from debilitating illnesses and injuries of the nervous system.

« Neurological and mental health research explores the limitations in our understanding of the nervous system and its disorders. Discovery research, also called fundamental research, may unlock these limitations. New knowledge has the potential to alleviate the irreversible burdens of disease, improving outcomes for Canadians. This work partners with clinical research and trials to advance prevention and treatment. By harnessing Canada wide research efforts, to work in a collaborative and complementary way, the Canadian Brain Research Strategy will accelerate discoveries about the brain, spinal cord and nerves with the potential to generate innovative and world class patient care. »

Douglas Zochodne, Director of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute at the University of Alberta

The Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute (NMHI) is a multi-faculty, interdisciplinary teaching and research translational science institute. Members of the NMHI are dedicated to the exploration of how our nervous system functions, the basis for disease, and the translation of discoveries into improved outcomes for persons with neurological and mental health disorders. This is made possible by enabling active collaboration among institute members, together with partners in health care delivery and individuals with lived experience, their families and their communities.