Department of Psychiatry

Sidney Kennedy recognized with President’s Impact Award

lanthierj — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 22:07:09 +0000

Sidney Kennedy recognized with President’s Impact Award

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Wed, 03/31/2021 - 18:07

Faculty

St. George

President's Impact Award

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Department of Psychiatry

St. Michael's Hospital

UHN

landscape

For his contributions to the treatment of people with major mood disorders in Canada and around the world, Sidney Kennedy has received a President’s Impact Award.

“I am extremely grateful to have received the President’s Impact Award,” says Kennedy, a professor in the department of psychiatry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and a physician with St. Michael's Hospital and UHN. “This honour brings greater attention to the burden and adversity faced by people with depression and their families.”

The founding chair of the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatment, Kennedy has focused much of his scholarship on making better treatments available for people with depression and for those with bipolar disorder and has performed world-leading research on the application of deep brain stimulation to treat depression. To ensure research discoveries reach patients, he founded and leads the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression.

“Although depression remains a leading cause of disability worldwide, there has been a significant shift in public awareness and reduction in stigma associated with depression, suicide and related conditions,” Kennedy says. “For me, the importance of studying the psychosocial and biological underpinnings of depression and working to create new treatment options lies in the translation of these findings to real-world clinical practice.

“The University of Toronto is a global leader in psychiatry research and has provided me with a great opportunity to build and maintain interdisciplinary teams with diverse expertise to achieve these goals.”

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Daphne Voineskos receives 2020 Polanyi Prize in Physiology/Medicine

lanthierj — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 19:09:29 +0000

Daphne Voineskos receives 2020 Polanyi Prize in Physiology/Medicine

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Tue, 12/15/2020 - 14:09

Faculty

St. George

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Department of Psychiatry

Polanyi Prize

Women in STEM

landscape

Daphne Voineskos of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto has won the 2020 Polanyi Prize in Physiology/Medicine for her innovative work on depression and mental health.

The prestigious Polanyi prizes are awarded in honour of University Professor John Polanyi, who won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Funded by the government of Ontario and administered by the Council of Ontario Universities, they recognize innovative researchers who are continuing postdoctoral work or have recently gained a faculty appointment.

An assistant professor in the department of psychiatry, Dr. Voineskos studies the differences between healthy brains and the brains of people with treatment-resistant depression. She also researches a type of brain stimulation known as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and is exploring how to enhance its effects by identifying predictive biomarkers of response in the brain that might allow doctors to personalize treatment.

“The University of Toronto congratulates Dr. Voineskos on this important recognition of her work,” said University Professor Ted Sargent, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation and strategic initiatives. “Major depressive disorder is a disabling illness and she is poised to clarify, not just the neurophysiological dysfunction found in depression, but also how certain treatments work – research that will have an impact on the lives of many people.”

Rachel Tyndale elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

lanthierj — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 19:26:50 +0000

Rachel Tyndale elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Tue, 11/24/2020 - 14:26

Faculty

St. George

AAAS Fellows

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

CAMH

Department of Psychiatry

Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology

Women in STEM

landscape

Rachel Tyndale, a professor in the department of pharmacology and toxicology and the department of psychiatry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

In a statement, the AAAS praised Tyndale’s “outstanding contributions to understanding the role of drug metabolism in addiction and in particular, how genetic polymorphisms alter behaviours relevant to nicotine addiction.”

Tyndale is a Canada Research Chair in Pharmacogenomics and senior scientist and head of the Pharmacogenetics Lab at the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, CAMH. Over the past decade, she has studied the predictive relationship between genetic variation in drug metabolism and the likelihood of addiction, as well as how metabolism within the brain alters the effects of drugs and toxins. This research will help identify novel mechanisms that can lead to new therapeutic targets and personalized treatment for smoking cessation and other addictions.

“The University of Toronto community is proud of Rachel Tyndale and the impact of her work on society,” said University Professor Ted Sargent, vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “Her research is actively reducing health-care costs while improving the quality of life for millions around the world who struggle with addiction.”

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Department of Psychiatry

Sidney Kennedy recognized with President’s Impact Award

Daphne Voineskos receives 2020 Polanyi Prize in Physiology/Medicine

Read more about the Polanyi Prizes

Rachel Tyndale elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science