Announcing the recipients of the Brain Canada-Kids Brain Health Network training awards in developmental neurosciences

October 29^th, 2018. The Brain Canada Foundation and the Kids Brain Health Network (KBHN) are pleased to announce the recipients of their Developmental Neurosciences Research Training Program designed to support and enhance the training of talented scientists conducting research focused on these key aspects of developmental neurosciences under the direction of leading Canadian researchers.

Nearly $1.5 million was awarded to 17 doctoral candidates and post-doctoral fellows who have been performing research aimed at the origins, early detection, and effective treatment of brain development disorders. A list of the projects can be found on Brain Canada’s research directory, while project summaries and trainee biosketches for both this competition and the previous competition held in 2015 can be found on KBHN’s website at http://kidsbrainhealth.ca/index.php/training/trainee-network/meet-our-trainees/.

This funding, provided by Brain Canada through the Canada Brain Research Fund (with the financial support of Health Canada) and by institutional supporters, will contribute considerably to building Canadian capacity and leadership in translational research and therapeutic approaches to neurodevelopmental disorders. These advances will lead to a better understanding of the etiology of these disorders, better diagnostics and screening, therapeutic interventions, and improved frontline care and social support services. This will in turn have a direct impact on the one out of six children for whom brain disorders take the form of a neurodisability with lifelong implications.

In addition to the award, the recipients have all been taking part in the Kids Brain Health Network Training program, which endeavors to develop cross-disciplinary and collaborative skill sets for the next generation of scientists, clinicians, and health-service professionals. This training program is enabling this talented group of awardees to become leaders in their field as well as highly collaborative researchers that will stay engaged in the Network and in the research and stakeholder communities.

“By providing funding and training opportunities for the next generation of scientists, we are helping to retain Canadian talent and ensuring that Canada remains at the forefront of the field of brain research,” says Inez Jabalpurwala, President and CEO of Brain Canada. “Understanding brain development will not only change how we treat neurodevelopmental disorders but will also have implications for all diseases of the brain including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.”

About Brain Canada and the Canada Brain Research Fund

Brain Canada is a national registered charity headquartered in Montreal, that enables and supports excellent, innovative, paradigm-changing brain research in Canada. Founded in 1998, Brain Canada is celebrating its 20^th anniversary this year. Since its inception, Brain Canada has made the case for the brain as a single, complex system with commonalities across the range of neurological disorders, mental illnesses and addictions, brain and spinal cord injuries. Looking at the brain as one system has underscored the need for increased collaboration across disciplines and institutions, and a smarter way to invest in brain research that is focused on outcomes that will benefit patients and families. Brain Canada’s vision is to understand the brain, in health and illness, to improve lives and achieve societal impact.

The Canada Brain Research Fund is a public-private partnership between the Government of Canada and Brain Canada, designed to encourage Canadians to increase their support of brain research, and maximize the impact and efficiency of those investments. Brain Canada has committed $115 million from private donors and non-federal partners—now numbering more than 100—which Health Canada has matched with $120 million. For more information, visit www.braincanada.ca.

About the Kids Brain Health Network

Kids Brain Health (KBHN) is a national network of researchers and health professionals helping children with neurodisabilities and their families. We fund collaborative research, train the next generation of developmental neuroscientists, and mobilize the knowledge we generate. Kids Brain Health Network is funded by the federal Networks of Centres of Excellence of program. Our national multi- and trans-disciplinary research teams focus on early diagnosis, effective treatment, and support for families raising children with neurodisabilities. We do this by partnering with community groups, non-profit organizations, industry, parents, clinicians, health professionals, provincial and federal governments and all who can play a role in advancing knowledge to improve outcomes for children with neurodisabilities and their families.

A specific objective of the Network’s training program is the promotion of a national strategy to increase capacity in developmental neurosciences. Through our network of institutional and organizational partners, Kids Brain Health Network supports the training of graduate students and fellows, and fosters the development of internships and practica through mechanisms including funding, focused training opportunities, courses, workshops and symposia.

For more information:

Theodora Samiotis, Brain Canada, theodora.samiotis@voria.ca, 514-989-2989