The Tarek K. Rajji Award in Brain Stimulation Research

Description

The Tarek K. Rajji Award in Brain Stimulation Research will be awarded annually to a trainee at the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine conducting brain stimulation research related to dementia or a cognitive disorder at a Toronto Dementia Research Alliance (TDRA) site. The award is to recognize the trainee’s contributions to an innovative research project.

Established in 2012, TDRA is a collaboration among the University of Toronto, Baycrest, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and the University Health Network (UHN). TDRA is working together to better understand, prevent, and treat dementia by creating a stronger link between basic science and clinical research, embedding research into care, improving outreach and education to the community, and increasing the efficiency of collaborative research processes across the city.

Dr. Tarek K. Rajji served as the Executive Director of TDRA from September 2020 through September 2024. His research and clinical psychiatry practice incorporate innovative brain stimulation techniques and technologies. During his tenure, Dr. Rajji's leadership, guidance, and innovative approaches were invaluable in advancing both TDRA and the broader dementia

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Guidelines:

1. The award will be given annually to one research trainee (PhD, resident or fellow) at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine who exemplifies outstanding contribution to conducting basic, pre-clinical and/or clinical brain stimulation research related to dementia or a cognitive disorder.
2. Applicants must be nominated by their Research Supervisor where they will conduct their research, which includes a letter of support explaining the reason for the nomination and how the candidate demonstrated excellence in brain stimulation research.
3. Applicants must include a plain language description of why their research is important in potentially leading to a change or innovation in clinical care or practice and/or improving peoples’ health and wellbeing.
4. All applicants are rated by a review committee and the top ranked applicant will be granted the award.
5. The funding awarded is for future research to be completed during the 2025-26 academic year (can start in the summer period). Funds will be paid in one lump sum.
6. Award recipients are required to periodically share research progress updates and results.
7. Please submit the application package in PDF format via email to the TDRA Program Officer at tdra@utoronto.ca. Please include subject line: “Application for Tarek K. Rajji award.”

Eligibility:

To be eligible for the Tarek K. Rajji Award in Brain Stimulation Research, applicants must comply with the following criteria:

• Be a research trainee (PhD, resident or fellow) in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.
• Be conducting research aimed at facilitating or utilizing brain stimulation technologies for treating dementia or a cognitive disorder, with multi-disciplinary research given priority.
• Be a trainee at one of the TDRA partner sites (i.e., Baycrest, CAMH, Ontario Shores, Sunnybrook, UHN, or University of Toronto).

The deadline for submission of application packages to TDRA is 4:00 pm Eastern Time on Monday, May 5, 2025. Winner will be announced on Friday, May 30, 2025.

If you have any questions, please contact TDRA at tdra@utoronto.ca.

Submission Checklist:

Please send the following documents as PDFs (by emailing TDRA at tdra@utoronto.ca, subject line: “Application for Tarek K. Rajji award”):

• Application Form completed and signed: Download application form
• Applicant’s up-to-date Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• One letter of support from your Research Supervisor

Meet the 2025 Award Recipient 

To be announced.