Meet the 2024-2025 GDipHR Supervisor & Student

TDRA is pleased to be co-funding GDipHR student Jessica Hira on behalf of research supervisor Dr. Sanjeev Kumar. Their project will use Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) to assess cortical excitability and inhibition using single and paired pulse TMS paradigms in patients with dementia, in order to understand neurophysiological mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia and to treat them using TMS.

Jessica Hira is a first-year medical student at the University of Toronto with an interest in the applications of cortical neurophysiology and neuroimaging to advance our understanding of different brain disorders. During her undergraduate studies, she engaged in research that broadly explored human development, specifically focused on children’s cognitive development and using neuroimaging techniques to identify age-related cortical differences. Alongside having a background in neuroscience, Jessica is skilled in research design and problem-solving.

Dr. Sanjeev Kumar is scientist, staff psychiatrist and medical head of geriatric clinical research within the Adult Neurodevelopment and Geriatric Psychiatry Division at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). He is also an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Dr. Kumar’s research focuses on developing novel biomarkers and treatment interventions for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. He is studying novel markers of neuroplasticity and cognition using TMS and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). He is also studying mechanisms and treatment interventions for neuropsychiatric symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders.