Great Canadian minds working to unlock the mysteries of the brain

For Immediate Release
March 21, 2018
Montreal, QC

Great Canadian minds working to unlock the mysteries of the brain

Brain Canada elects to its Board Canadian leaders from the business, academic, Indigenous and philanthropic communities

Brain Canada is delighted to announce four new members to its Board of Directors, drawn from across the country. They will join other outstanding Canadian leaders who are helping Brain Canada build on its record of supporting excellent, innovative, paradigm-changing brain research aimed at understanding the brain and brain disorders.

“We are honoured to have these exceptional Canadians join our Board as we approach the 20^th anniversary of Brain Canada’s founding,” said Inez Jabalpurwala, President and CEO, Brain Canada. “Brain disorders directly impact 1 in 3 Canadians, but touch us all.  The diversity, experience and passion of our Board are key to finding creative solutions to this complex challenge.”

In the two decades since it was founded, Brain Canada has rallied private and public support for brain research. Since 2011, when the organization began a partnership with the federal government, Brain Canada has awarded more than $206 million in grants to 224 projects involving more than 900 researchers working at 113 institutions across Canada. By enabling our world-class researchers to work across disciplines, disorders and institutions, Brain Canada is creating a more networked community and accelerating the pace of progress.

“Brain Canada’s model has been a powerful catalyst towards great research, providing funds that would otherwise not be available to Canadian scientists,” stated Naomi Azrieli, Chair and CEO of the Azrieli Foundation and Chair of Brain Canada. “This unique role in Canada’s research space has enabled leaders, including our new board members, from all sectors of society to work together to make discoveries aimed at improving the lives of all Canadians.”

The new board members, are:

Glen B. Baker is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Interim Chair of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Alberta, having previously served as an Associate Vice-President (Research) at that university. Dr. Baker was a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Neurochemistry and Drug Development from 2002 to 2009. He has been very active in service to various professional societies and granting agencies, including serving on the Scientific Advisory Board of the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research from 2005 to 2013 and as a member of the steering committee for the Canadian Depression Research and Intervention Network (CDRIN).

France Chrétien-Desmarais has extensive involvement with companies and charitable organizations in areas as varied as health, sports, arts, education, heritage and support for youth. Ms. Chrétien-Desmarais serves as Vice-President and Founding Member of both the Guy Laliberté Foundation and ONE DROP Foundation, and is a member of the Board of the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation, the McGill University International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors Board and Drug Free Kids Canada.

George Cope is President and CEO of BCE Inc. and Bell Canada and has earned a reputation as a strategic leader and builder of high-performance teams over the past 30 years. Mr. Cope led the launch of the Bell Let’s Talk initiative, the largest-ever corporate commitment to Canadian mental health and now one of the country’s most prominent community investment campaigns. He received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his work on Bell Let’s Talk and was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2014.

Celeste Haldane was appointed Chief Commissioner of the B.C. Treaty Commission in April 2017 after serving as an elected Commissioner since 2011. Ms. Haldane was appointed to serve on the UBC Board of Governors and is the first Indigenous chair of the Legal Services Society. She is an active member of the Canadian Bar Association, and a member and director of the Indigenous Bar Association. She is from the Musqueam Nation and has roots in Metlakatla.

For more information, please contact:
Katarina Stojkovic
Communications Officer, Brain Canada
Telephone: 514-989-2989
Email: katarina.stojkovic@braincanada.ca

About Brain Canada

Brain Canada is a national registered charity headquartered in Montreal that enables and supports excellent, innovative, paradigm-changing brain research in Canada. For two decades, 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.

To find out more, visit: www.braincanada.ca 

For a full listing of our Board members, visit: http://braincanada.wpengine.com/about-us/board-of-directors/