As we enter 2018, I wish to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the staff, faculty and trainees here at the Krembil Research Institute. Last year we achieved many research successes, which have been showcased in our newsletter and through our three-part Krembil magazine series in partnership with The Globe and Mail.
First, I am pleased to share that we have expanded an important niche at the Krembil—computational science. On this front, our key progress includes: new space provided for the computational group at the Krembil Discovery Tower (KDT), the welcoming of computational expert Dr. Igor Jurisica as a Krembil Senior Scientist, and the establishment of a collaboration with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Neuroinformatics group. These changes will support and advance a wide range of research initiatives across the institution, and will be furthered by the planned hire of a new computational neuroscientist in the spring of 2018.
Another noteworthy boost includes upgrades to our Wright Cell Imaging Facility. Thanks to a generous donation, and funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, the facility acquired three new advanced microscopes and amalgamated with UHN’s Advanced Optical Microscopy Facility.
Research Day 2017 was a huge success. The event was well attended and provided an important opportunity for trainees to hone their communication skills through either 10-minute presentations or three-minute ‘elevator’ pitches.
Our funding opportunities have also boosted the resources available to our researchers and trainees. These include our Small Equipment Competition, Post-doctoral Fellowship Award, and a Collaborative Seed Program, which was launched in 2017. All have been well received by our membership.
In the fall we welcomed the new Program Medical Director for Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Dr. Gelareh Zadeh with whom we look forward to working, enabling us to bridge patient care, education and research. I would also like to acknowledge the following leadership changes that took place in 2017:
- Dr. Mary Pat McAndrews, new Chair of the Trainee Affairs Committee
- Dr. Mohit Kapoor, named Research Director of the Arthritis Research Group
- Dr. Jeremy Sivak, promoted to Senior Scientist
- Addition of 33 newly appointed Clinician Investigators
- Creation of the KDT Joint Health and Safety Committee
Moving into the new year, I want to thank everyone for their dedication to the relentless pursuit of new diagnostics, treatment and management strategies for chronic debilitating disorders in the areas of brain, arthritis and vision. We hope to continue new and exciting initiatives, recruitments and investment in core resources as we propel the Krembil into the position of an internationally recognized biomedical institute.
Relentlessly yours,
Don Weaver
Director, Krembil Research Institute, UHN