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Medical imaging
$1.5 million for brain imaging at
Sunnybrook Health Sciences
TORONTO – A $1.5-million donation
will support the construction of a new Brain Imaging Research Centre at
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, giving scientists a new window into
the brain and new hope to those afflicted with stroke, dementias and
mood disorders.
The gift, which will also fund new multi-disciplinary fellowships in
Brain Sciences, was made to the Sunnybrook Foundation by Mrs. Ada
Slaight and the Slaight Family Foundation.
“My mother and the Slaight Family Foundation are giving to one of the
most innovative areas of Sunnybrook, where it is leading discovery into
the health and diseases of the brain and mind,” said Mr. Gary Slaight.
“Dr. Sandra Black and her team are remarkable professionals who need the
infrastructure and support to innovate and translate innovation into
improved care. We are thrilled to be supporting them and Sunnybrook.”
Dr. Sandra Black, known internationally as a leading Canadian cognitive
neurologist and clinical researcher in stroke and dementia, is the
research director of the Brain Sciences Program at Sunnybrook. Dr. Black
is a full-time professor at the University of Toronto where she holds
the Deborah Ivy Christian Brill Chair in Neurology and is the medical
director of the Regional Stroke Centre at Sunnybrook. She is also the
interim director of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario Centre
for Stroke Recovery, of which Sunnybrook is a major partner.
“This gift will help to establish future important scientific
contributions,” said Dr. Black. “It will allow the Brain Sciences team
to search for information that is crucial for finding the cures and
treatments that will save and improve lives of people afflicted with
brain disorders. The people of Ontario will benefit greatly from the
generosity of the Slaight family.”
“Sunnybrook and the Brain Sciences Program are grateful and honoured to
receive this generous donation from the Slaight family,” said Dr. Barry
McLellan, president & CEO of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. “This
recognition of Dr. Black is clear acknowledgement of her outstanding
level of compassionate and innovative patient care and her pioneering
work in the field of neurovascular diseases and dementia. She is an
inspirational mentor to her patients and their families, her colleagues,
and to students.”
In recognition of the gift, Sunnybrook Foundation plans to name a
research suite and fellowship program in honour of Mrs. Slaight and the
Slaight Family Foundation.
As the population ages, the number of Canadians living with
brain-related conditions is increasing. Sunnybrook’s Brain Sciences
Program expands on our understanding and management of these disorders
of the brain and mind. The program uniquely brings together teams within
medicine as well as interdisciplinary health professionals in clinical
care, research and teaching to provide comprehensive care - from
prevention, acute intervention, long-term management, outreach, and
linkages to community providers. Research includes world-class neuro-imaging,
neurochemistry, pharmacology and neuropsychology. The program is
pioneering new interventions and imaging analysis techniques to optimize
brain recovery and rehabilitation.
Published February 11,2010
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