Congratulations to the following six UHN scientists, who received new or renewed funding from the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program:
Dr. Jennifer Campos, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Multisensory Integration and Aging (new). Dr. Campos is a Scientist at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute’s KITE. Her research examines how sensory information is integrated in the brain and how this changes with age. Her research program will investigate the effect of hearing loss on mobility, the increased risk of developing dementia in those with sensory loss, and the therapeutic potential of new rehabilitation programs.
Dr. Mohit Kapoor, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in the Mechanisms of Joint Degeneration (new). Dr. Kapoor is a Senior Scientist at Krembil Research Institute (Krembil), where he studies osteoarthritis, a progressive joint disease that can lead to significant pain and disability. His team aims to identify new therapeutic strategies to counteract this disabling disease.
Dr. Tony Lam, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Diabetes and Obesity (advancement). Dr. Lam is a Senior Scientist at the Toronto General Research Institute (TGHRI). His research program is focused on uncovering the proteins and pathways that regulate glucose and lipid levels. These findings are providing key insights into diabetes and obesity.
Dr. Beate Sander, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Economics of Infectious Diseases (new). Dr. Sander is a Scientist at TGHRI, where she examines the economic and social impact of infectious diseases. Her research group has evaluated Zika and West Nile virus intervention strategies using data-driven simulation models and estimated the burden of infectious diseases using population data.
Dr. Valerie Wallace, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Retina Regeneration (new). Dr. Wallace is a Senior Scientist at Krembil. Her team studies the genes that affect the growth and development of cells in the eye. Because brain cells are influenced by the same genes studied by Dr. Wallace’s team, her research is also improving our understanding of brain cell development.
Dr. Gang Zheng, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Cancer Nanomedicine (new). Dr. Zheng is a Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and a Core Lead at Techna. The main focus of Dr. Zheng’s research program is to develop new tools, including nanoparticles and imaging agents, to treat and visualize cancer.
The nationwide CRC program invested a total of $275 million for 346 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs across Canada. These Chairs serve to attract and retain Canada’s most accomplished and promising researchers. Chairholders demonstrate research excellence, provide key insights, improve the quality of life for Canadians, strengthen competitiveness and help train the next generation of researchers.