Our Research Milestones

Research integrated with clinical application through a clinical research unit

Baycrest takes the first step towards integrating research with care by establishing a clinical research unit, deemed essential for promoting evidence-based practice and translating basic research to clinical application.

Anne and Max Tanenbaum Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience

Baycrest appoints the first incumbent of the Anne and Max Tanenbaum Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience, Dr. Endel Tulving, recognized as a leader in memory research. He is most well-known for his work in memory pertaining to personal experience (episodic memory) and continues to be a major influence in memory research.

Event-related potentials (ERP) technology

The introduction of ERP at Baycrest enables scientists to study neural activity in the brain during complex psychological processes, making decisions about stimuli, understanding speech and learning new things.

Ben & Hilda Katz Interprofessional Research Centre in Geriatric and Dementia Care

The Katz Centre, a joint venture between Baycrest and the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, is the result of a gift by long-time Baycrest supporters Ben and Hilda Katz. In the field of gerontological social work, the Centre is unique in Canada, and possibly all of North America, as it is based in a multi-service practice setting with a strong focus on clinical research. The Centre builds capacity for inter-professional research, promotes scholarly activity among Baycrest clinicians and embeds inter-professional research into clinical practice.

Second Anne and Max Tanenbaum Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience

The Anne and Max Tanenbaum Chair Program in Biomedical Research stems from a $10 million gift from philanthropist Dr. Anne Tanenbaum in 1996 to honour her late husband Max. The program includes the creation of six endowed chairs dedicated to research in neuroscience and molecular medicine, one of which is at Baycrest. Baycrest appoints its second chair, Dr. Terence Picton, a RRI Senior Scientist and expert in ERP to assess changes in the brain’s electrical activity. The appointment recognizes Dr. Picton’s expertise in the application of ERP and MEG technology to understand cognitive function.

Cognitive Rehabilitation Network (Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, U.K and U.S.A.)

The significance of the rehabilitation work by this multidisciplinary and multinational group spearheaded by the RRI led to the 21st Century Collaborative Activity Award by the James S. McDonnell Foundation, to support research to advance rehabilitation techniques for individuals suffering from neurological disorders and brain injury. 

Norman and Honey Schipper Chair in Gerontological Social Work

As the first appointee, Dr. Elsa Marziali is recognized as a leading researcher advancing knowledge about innovative and effective social service programs for the elderly.
The Chair functions within the Katz Centre and it is a joint appointment of Baycrest and the University of Toronto. The position is made possible by generous donations from Joseph and Sandra Rotman, J. Richard Schiff and family and the University of Toronto, and is named in honour of Norman and Honey Schipper, long-time supporters of Baycrest. The current Chair is held by RRI Senior Scientist Dr. Amanda Grenier.

First Tier 1 Canada Research Chair

Baycrest recruits Dr. Christo Pantev from Germany as the first Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (CRC), a prestigious appointment of an outstanding researcher acknowledged by their peers as a world leader in their field. As the Canada Research Chair of Human Cortical Plasticity, Dr. Pantev utilizes state-of-the-art magnetoencephalography (MEG) technology to study how the brain is functionally organized, how it changes over the lifespan, and how brain plasticity may be important in brain recovery and rehabilitation after stroke.

Multiple auditory steady-state response (M.A.S.T.E.R.) technique cutting-edge in its applicability to auditory screening programs for newborns and the elderly

The FDA approves a technique created by RRI scientists, Drs. Terence Picton and Sasha John, for use in hundreds of hospitals internationally. The technique tests frequency-specific hearing abilities in newborns and the elderly by monitoring brain activity in response to sound. This method eliminates the necessity of the individual to verbally respond; thus, the objectivity of the technique enhances early and accurate detection and greatly improves treatment outcomes. M.A.S.T.E.R. becomes the first research success in technology transfer.

A revolutionary model for out-patient care – The Brain Health Centre Clinics  

The Mood and Related Disorders Clinic, the Memory Clinic and the Louis and Leah Posluns Stroke and Cognition Clinic become the Brain Health Centre Clinics, integrating research and care as scientists and clinicians work side-by-side to provide clients with new treatment options for intervention, rehabilitation, prevention and support for families.

State-of-the-art computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system with clinical decision support (CDS) capability  

Leveraging Baycrest’s implementation of this system, the institution becomes the site of a benchmark study to assess the effectiveness of CPOE/CDS from a cost-benefit perspective in terms of implementation and maintenance versus effectiveness in reducing adverse drug events in a long-term care setting. The project is a collaborative effort between KLARU scientist, Dr. Paula Rochon in Canada, and Drs. Jerry Gurwitz, Terry Field and David Bates in the U.S.A.

$5 million investment in the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Centre for Stroke Recovery (CSR): Baycrest, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the Ottawa Health Research Institute 

Recognizing the expertise and revolutionary research made possible through this partnership, the CSR receives $5 million by the Ministry of Research & Innovation. 

Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC)

A Tier 2 CRC is a prestigious appointment of an exceptional emerging researcher acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. Baycrest appoints a promising young scientist, Dr. Jennifer Ryan, as the first Tier 2 CRC in recognition of her research using reaction time studies, eye movement paradigms and MEG to examine memory performance to determine how memory is organized and how it transforms with age and/or brain damage.

$15 Million investment in the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Centre for Stroke Recovery – Baycrest, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the Ottawa Health Research Institute 

“The Heart and Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery is moving new discoveries from the lab to the bedside faster than ever before and is the first of its kind in the world to streamline research, stroke care, and stroke recovery… By continuing to make breakthrough discoveries and innovating treatments, the Centre is generating new hope for stroke survivors and their families.” – Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health and the Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario.

A virtual brain 

Baycrest leads a team of international scientists in a mammoth project to create the world’s first functional virtual brain, propelling Canada in a global race to pull off a neuroscience feat comparable to decoding the human genome. The achievement could revolutionize how clinicians assess and treat various brain disorders, including cognitive impairment caused by stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. 

Baycrest releases the world’s first science-based cookbook

RRI Senior Scientist Dr. Carol Greenwood teams up with Daphna Rabinovitch, an award-winning recipe developer and food writer, and Joanna Gryfe, a food and media expert, to create Mindfull, the world’s first science-based cookbook for the brain. 

Baycrest becomes home to the Canadian Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation  

The ground-breaking Canadian Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation is established as a result of the largest investment in brain health and aging in Canadian history. This national hub is established in partnership with experts from healthcare, science, industry and government, to collaborate on innovations to help older adults age safely in the setting of their choice, while maintaining their cognitive, emotional and physical wellbeing for as long as possible. 

New intervention brings hope to patients with a dementia that robs them of speech and language abilities  

Baycrest researcher Dr. Regina Jokel develops the first group language intervention to help patients with a rare language dementia preserve their communication abilities longer.

Baycrest Scientists awarded Canada Research Chair posts 

Dr. Jean Chen, a neuroimaging expert, was named a Canada Research Chair in Neuroimaging of Aging. Dr. Jed Meltzer, an MEG and language expert, was named a Canada Research Chair in Interventional Cognitive Neuroscience. 

Leading New Zealand memory researcher joins Baycrest as Canada 150 Research Chair

The federal government announced that Dr. Donna Rose Addis will join the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest as the Canada 150 Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory and Aging. As a Canada 150 Research Chair, Dr. Addis will receive $2.45 million over seven years to explore ways to improve a person’s ability to picture the future, opening the door to develop interventions for depression and mood disorders amongst older adults and enhance psychological well-being during aging.

Baycrest became home to the largest network of dementia research done across the country

The scientific headquarters of Canada’s largest national dementia research initiative, the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging, moved to Baycrest. The initiative continues to be led by CCNA’s Scientific Director, Dr. Howard Chertkow, who joined Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute as a Senior Scientist and Chair in Cognitive Neurology and Innovation.

Baycrest’s research VP elected to the Society of Experimental Psychologists 

Dr. Allison Sekuler, Vice President of Research and Sandra A. Rotman Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience at Baycrest, was elected as a fellow to the oldest and most prestigious honorary society in Psychology, the Society of Experimental Psychologists. This honour recognizes Dr. Sekuler’s contributions as a leading experimental psychologist in North America. 

RRI senior scientist elected as a fellow of The Royal Society of Canada 

Dr. Cheryl Grady, RRI Senior Scientist, has been recognized as a world leader in cognitive neuroscience with her election as a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Dr. Grady’s discoveries have revolutionized our understanding of how aging affects various aspects of brain function, such as perception, attention, memory and thinking. She has pioneered brain imaging techniques to study the aging brain and uncover how these processes change with age. 

Amanda Grenier, a leading social gerontology researcher, was appointed the Norman and Honey Schipper Chair in Gerontological Social Work.

Allison Sekuler, Vice-President, Research at Baycrest, was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network.

Virtual Behavioural Medicine (VBM) Program launched 

Dr. Morris Freedman (a RRI Scientist) led the VBM Program, a collaboration between the Sam and Ida Ross Memory Clinic at the Pamela and Paul Austin Centre for Neurology and Behavioural Support at Baycrest, and the Toronto Central Behavioural Support for Seniors Program. Its specialists provide a rapid response where and when needed, working with care teams and specialized geriatric services in hospitals and long-term care homes and with family members, to help them develop and implement care plans, access behavioural and social supports and provide follow-up.  

In gratitude  

In appreciation of the generous support of the Bank family, Baycrest’s Clinical Trials Unit was renamed the Anne & Allan Bank Centre for Clinical Research Trials. 

Thanks to the generous commitment of the Weinbaum family, which supplemented federal and Ontario government funds, Baycrest’s Siemens 3T MRI scanner was upgraded with the addition of the Siemens PRISMA 3 Tesla system, state-of-the-art in MRI neuroimaging research.  

Possibilities by Baycrest™ launches to improve the care of individuals living with dementia

For those living with dementia, Possibilities by Baycrest™ offers customized leisure activities, engaging social and spiritual connections and opportunities to revisit old skills and hobbies while exploring new ones. It is the only dementia care model based in neuroscience that applies innovative emerging technologies to support wellbeing. It shifts from traditional task-based care and prioritizes choice and autonomy to help preserve abilities and reignite a sense of purpose, inspiration and fulfilment for people living with dementia. 

RRI senior scientist awarded the Order Of Canada

Dr. Morris Moscovitch, RRI Senior Scientist, was inducted as a Member of the Order of Canada in at Rideau Hall.  

Treasurer of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN)

Dr. Morris Freedman was elected Treasurer for the WFN. This position places him on the WFN’s Board of Trustees and signifies a monumental achievement for both Dr. Freedman and Baycrest. 

Dr. Brian Levine elected Royal Society of Canada fellow 

RRI Senior Scientist Dr. Brian Levine was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. His research has transformed how we understand memory, thinking and behaviour in everyday life, while his pioneering work has advanced the study of cognitive impairment and developed practical solutions that improve the quality of life for people facing challenges with memory and thinking.