(Toronto, Oct. 3, 2022) – University Health Network (UHN) is pleased to announce that Dr. Jaideep Bains will be joining our team as the new Director of the Krembil Research Institute.

The Krembil Research Institute, one of the principal institutes within UHN, comprises the Krembil Brain Institute, the Schroeder Arthritis Institute and the Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute, and focuses on advanced research programs dedicated to brain and spine, arthritis and vision disorders.

Dr. Bains, an internationally recognized expert in brain research, is currently Scientific Director of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary, where he has helped develop and direct the research vision for the Institute.

For the past two decades, Dr. Bains has led a successful research team at the University of Calgary, making many important discoveries that have provided insights into how the brain adapts to stress.

These studies have shed light on links between neurotransmission, synaptic plasticity and brain network states, with important behavioural and physiological responses in different models of stress.

More recently, Dr. Bains has pioneered approaches that use advanced technology platforms to measure changes in brain circuits in response to stress. His team developed a novel system for behavioural assessment and combined this with optogenetic and circuit mapping, to link activity in the brain's stress command neurons to the transmission of stress/fear from one individual to another. He has also been active in the potential for clinical application of this research through commercialization efforts.

This appointment follows the nine-year directorship of Dr. Donald Weaver, who will remain at the Krembil as a Senior Scientist, focusing full-time on his pioneering research into Alzheimer's disease.

In his new role, Dr. Bains will work closely with the research and clinical leaders of the Krembil Brain Institute, the Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute, and the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, to continue to drive research excellence and impact with a goal of achieving global recognition for the Institute and its team members.

"The Krembil Research Institute is in an excellent position to become a research power internationally," says Dr. Bains. "We will do this by building a diverse and inclusive culture of excellence, supporting individual investigators while also creating a rich environment where synergy can occur."

Dr. Bains is also a seasoned and effective science communicator, participating in many public outreach initiatives and collaborations to engage the wider community and bolster support for science.

About the Krembil Research Institute

The Krembil Research Institute is one of the principal research institutes within the University Health Network, focusing on research programs dedicated to brain and spine, arthritis and vision disorders. Our goal is to alleviate debilitating chronic disease through basic, translational and clinical research. The Krembil Research Institute is located at the Toronto Western Hospital in downtown Toronto. For more information: Krembil

About University Health Network

University Health Network consists of Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospitals, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and The Michener Institute of Education at UHN. The scope of research and complexity of cases at University Health Network has made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. It has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in cardiology, transplantation, neurosciences, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, genomic medicine and rehabilitation medicine. University Health Network is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto. For more information: www.uhn.ca

Media Contact

Heather Sherman
Communications Manager, Krembil Brain Institute/UHN
Email: heather.sherman@uhn.ca


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