TDRA Clinical & Research Fellowship Program

Description

To better support memory clinics across Toronto, the Toronto Dementia Research Alliance (TDRA) launched a one-year Clinical and Research Fellowship Program that provided new doctors with additional training in the diagnosis and management of dementia, and protects time for research.

Fellows received training in the diagnosis and management of adult cognition and behavioural disorders in neurodegenerative and related disorders. This included a variety of cognitive tests, functional and behavioural responsiveness, MRI, SPECT and PET imaging, and fluid biomarkers (e.g., cerebrospinal fluid and blood). Fellows also gained experience in the diagnosis and management of people living with co-existing neurodegenerative disorders and late-life mental health disorders.

A total of five fellowships were available, each based at one of the TDRA partner institutions. Training was equivalent across all five TDRA partners; however, there were some differences in the physician specialties and clinical populations at each site. In the application process, candidates were encouraged to indicate their preference. At each site, fellows gained clinical experience in dementia in the following context:

• Baycrest: Cognitive neurology, geriatric psychiatry and/or geriatrics
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH): Geriatric psychiatry, neurology, neuropsychiatry
• Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores): In development
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre: Cognitive neurology and/or geriatric psychiatry
• University Health Network: Cognitive and behavioural neurology, geriatric psychiatry

Apply

The TDRA is not currently accepting applications for the Clinical and Research Fellowship Program.

Meet the 2019-2021 TDRA Fellows

• Dr. Eslam Abdellah (Baycrest) is a neurologist from Cairo, Egypt. He completed his medical school and residency training at the University of Ain Shams. He earned a Master of Neuropsychiatry at Ain Shams University in the course of his residency. He is interested in cognitive and behavioural neurology, with a special interest in the early management of dementia for improved quality of life
• Dr. Fatemeh Bahari (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) is a psychiatrist from Iran. She completed her degree from Mazandaran University in 2013, where she specialized in psychiatry. Since her graduation, she has worked with geriatric patients and patients with neurocognitive conditions, a topic which she is very interested in researching and learning more about. She is currently working as a clinical fellow in the geriatric department  at CAMH to further her clinical and research experiences.

• Dr. Carly Scramstad (Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre) is a neurologist from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She completed her medical school and residency training at the University of Manitoba. She earned a Master of Public Health at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in the course of her residency. She is interested in the intersections of cognitive neurology and public health, with a particular interest in the prevention and early identification of dementia. During her TDRA fellowship, Dr. Scramstad experienced a broad spectrum of clinical care in cognitive neurology, alongside a team of experienced physicians, nurses, and psychometrists. Being a fellow during the pandemic also allowed her to develop new skills in virtual care. From a research perspective, Dr. Scramstad worked alongside clinical trial staff, gaining insight into the support and resources required to effectively enroll patients in clinical trials. She continues to work on a database research project examining white matter hyperintensities in dementia. Dr. Scramstad is now continuing to build her practice as a cognitive neurologist at the Mcfarland Clinic in Iowa Falls, IA.

• Dr. Mehrdad Maboudi (University Health Network) graduated from neurology at the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran. After graduation, Dr. Maboudi joined the Mazandaran University of Medical Science and started to see patients with different kinds of cognitive and neurodegenerative issues in his clinic. In his career, Dr. Maboudi has always sought new ways to improve the quality of life for patients with cognitive and neurodegenerative issues, and is now able to pursue this goal through the University of Toronto and the Toronto Dementia Research Alliance.