Celebrating the Inaugural Recipient of the Tarek K. Rajji Award in Brain Stimulation Research
Beginning this year, the Tarek K. Rajji Award in Brain Stimulation Research will be presented annually to a University of Toronto trainee conducting innovative brain stimulation research related to dementia or a cognitive disorder at a Toronto Dementia Research Alliance (TDRA) site. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to a forward-thinking research project.
We are pleased to announce that Ilya Demchenko, a PhD candidate in Medical Science with a Collaborative Specialization in Neuromodulation at the University of Toronto, is the inaugural recipient of the Tarek K. Rajji Award in Brain Stimulation Research.
Ilya is exploring a promising new brain stimulation method called temporal interference stimulation, which may make it possible to reach deep areas of the brain without surgery. These areas are usually only accessible with invasive procedures like deep brain stimulation. Under the supervision of Dr. Venkat Bhat and Dr. Tom Schweizer, Ilya is studying how this technique might influence brain activity, behaviour, and mood—specifically by targeting the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, a region of the brain known to regulate mood and play a key role in depression. He is passionate about combining brain science, mental health care, and new technologies to improve treatments for people living with psychiatric and cognitive conditions.
