Message from the Director

Dear Friends,

I hope you and yours are healthy and doing well. Following a spring and summer like no other, I can tell you that together, we at the Hotchkiss  Brain Institute are all making an extraordinary effort to move our research and education goals forward as much as possible while adhering to COVID-19 guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding during a difficult year.

HBI researchers and trainees have not only persevered but have excelled over the past few difficult months in advancing their research. We have some exciting things happening at the HBI that we cannot wait to share with you. Congratulations to our many grant and award recipients! Please read on in the Brainworks e-newsletter for more information about these outstanding achievements by your HBI colleagues and trainees.

While we would normally have many upcoming in-person events to tell you about in the fall, in following COVID guidelines, we want to let you know about some online events and seminars. Mark your calendars for:

• October 16: HBI Seminar Series with speaker Dr. Jonathan Kipnis, hosted by Dr. Alex Lohman, noon to 12:50 pm via Zoom.
• Our annual Bryan Kolb lecture and Holiday Party will be on hold until we can safely return to in-person events.
• The Brain and Mental Health International Review, organized by the Office of the VPR and initially planned for November 3-4, 2020, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The review is being rescheduled for spring 2021 (dates TBA), to facilitate in-person lab tours, interviews with trainees, faculty, and community members, and to hold meaningful discussions around Brain and Mental Health research. 
• We will be holding a Town Hall in early 2021 (invitation to follow at a later date) to share the results of the Brain and Mental Health strategy's self-assessment, as well as communicate the proposed direction for Brain and Mental Health research at UCalgary.

Please join me in welcoming new members:

• Dr. Abdullah Al Maruf, PhD, adjunct assistant professor, Psychiatry, with a research focus on the roles of genes and the environment and their interactions in mental health disorders and psychiatric drug response in children and youth
• Dr. Camila Aquino, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Clinical Neurosciences, whose research addresses the unmet needs of people living with movement disorders
• Dr. Julie Kromm, MD, clinical assistant professor, Clinical Neurosciences and Critical Care Medicine, whose research focuses on the utility and logistics of neuromonitoring for critically ill patients; and medical education for healthcare personnel to administer neuromonitoring
• Dr. Roberto Medeiros de Souza, PhD, assistant professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, with a research focus on developing artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to optimize brain magnetic resonance imaging acquisition and reconstruction resulting in faster and more efficient scans  
• Dr. Kristin von Ranson, PhD, professor of psychology and registered clinical psychologist with expertise in eating disorders and body image.

Welcome all, we look forward to working with you!

I want to personally thank each of you for your cooperation and continued dedication to support the advancement of research and education at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. You are a valued member of our HBI family. I hope you enjoy this issue of Brainworks.

Warm regards,

David

David Park, PhD, FRSC
Director, Hotchkiss Brain Institute
Lead, Brain and Mental Health research strategy 
Professor, Depts. of Clinical Neurosciences
and Cell Biology & Anatomy
University of Calgary