Temerty-Tanz-TDRA Research Fellowships
Description
The Toronto Dementia Research Alliance (TDRA) has collaborated with the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases to offer two innovative research fellowship opportunities in the field of dementia and depression. The Brain Medicine Research Fellowship is for candidates who have completed their medical residency, and the Postdoc Research Fellowship is for candidates with a PhD. Both fellowships have been designed to address an emerging need to study the brain with an interdisciplinary lens and a collaborative approach. Both fellowships are two to three years in length.
More Details:
Temerty-Tanz-TDRA Brain Medicine Research Fellowship
The Temerty-Tanz-TDRA Brain Medicine Research Fellowship is a competency-based program that aims to provide trainees with an integrated, cross-disciplinary perspective to approach the clinical and research questions that are related to brain diseases. Fellows are empowered to broaden their experience, expand their expertise beyond their specialty of origin, and develop competencies to help them provide enhanced care for patients with complex brain disorders.
The focus of the fellowship is the interactions between depression and dementia. Trainees will develop a research focus under a collaborative mentorship of experts in the field among the Tanz Centre and across all five TDRA sites (Baycrest, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, the University Health Network (UHN)) as they work toward becoming independent investigators. Fellows will dedicate 20% of their time to clinical work and 80% of their time to research.
Candidates must have completed a residency training program in geriatric medicine, neurology, family medicine, neurosurgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, psychiatry, or another brain related specialty. The successful applicant will receive an individualized competitive remuneration package based on qualification and experience, and a generous research stipend.
Temerty-Tanz-TDRA Postdoc Research Fellowship
The Temerty-Tanz-TDRA Postdoc Research Fellowship focuses on preclinical, clinical, and translational research related to the interactions between dementia and depression. This opportunity aims to provide its fellows with transdisciplinary competencies that complement their doctorate training. Candidates must hold a PhD, be in the final year of obtaining their PhD, or be in the first or second year of a postdoctoral fellowship. Trainees will develop their research focus under a collaborative mentorship of experts in the field from among the Tanz Centre and across all five TDRA sites (Baycrest, CAMH, Ontario Shores, Sunnybrook, UHN) as they work toward becoming independent investigators. There is no requirement for clinical work.
The successful applicant will receive an individualized competitive remuneration package based on qualification and experience, and a generous research stipend.
Apply
We are not currently accepting applications for the the Temerty-Tanz-TDRA Brain Medicine Research Fellowship or Postdoc Research Fellowship.
Looking for the Brain Medicine Fellowship- Clinical Stream? Please contact Dr. Sara Mitchell .
Meet the 2022 Temerty-Tanz-TDRA Research Fellows
Brain Medicine Research Fellow: Iryna S. Palamarchuk MD PhD
Dr. Iryna S. Palamarchuk is trained in neurology, electroencephalography (EEG), polysomnography (PSG), heart rate variability (HRV), and cognitive neuroscience/neuropsychology to advance research on the functional mind-brain-heart pathophysiology with a focus on depression, cognitive decline, and stroke prevention. She has established expertise in clinical neuroscience research at university hospitals in Kyiv, Ukraine, and in London and Ottawa, Ontario.
During the Brain Medicine Research Fellowship, Dr. Palamarchuk will be conducting multi-site research under the co-supervision of Dr. Kullervo Hynynen at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Dr. Tarek Rajji at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The project will combine transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) with Focused Ultrasound (FUS) with the aim of enhancing working memory in older people living with depression or mild cognitive impairment.
Brain Medicine Research Fellow: Adrian I. Espiritu MD
Dr. Adrian I. Espiritu is a clinician-scientist trained in neurology and clinical epidemiology. He completed an Adult Neurology Residency Program at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital. He is in the process of completing his Master of Science in Epidemiology through the University of Philippines Manila, College of Medicine. Dr. Espiritu also completed a clinical fellowship in the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Fellowship Program at the BARLO MS Centre in St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto.
During his Brain Medicine Research Fellowship, Dr. Espiritu will conduct multi-site research under the co-supervision of Dr. Amer Burhan at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, and Dr. Daphne Voineskos at the University Health Network. Their pilot study involves using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a form of non-invasive brain stimulation, as a novel intervention for people living with treatment-resistant late-life depression (TR-LLD) and motor-cognitive risk syndrome.
Postdoc Research Fellow: Samar Elsheikh PhD
Dr. Samar Elsheikh completed her PhD and a post-doctoral fellowship in bioinformatics at the Computational Biology Group, University of Cape Town, South Africa. Throughout her PhD, Dr. Elsheikh integrated a wide range of neuroimaging characteristics and multi-omic data to better understand their associations in the context of brain-related diseases. In 2021, Dr. Elsheikh joined the Pharmacogenetics Research Clinic at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) as a Postdoctoral Fellow.
During her Postdoc Research Fellowship, Dr. Elshiekh will conduct multi-site research under the co-supervision of Dr. Daniel Mueller at CAMH, and Dr. Corinne Fischer at St. Michel’s Hospital. Their study will investigate the genetic interplay between antidepressant response and the development of early symptoms of dementia in late life.