All times are displayed in Eastern Canadian Time (ET).
Register to become a VAST Member to receive the link to the VAST Google calendar and stay informed of upcoming events. Zoom links will be included in email notifications and added to the Google calendar.
Seminars and workshop series: biweekly Thursdays 12-1 PM ET.
Journal club: last Monday of each month 3-4 PM ET.
Links to available recordings of past events can be accessed via the VAST Thinkific - make an account, search for a speaker, topic, or event, enrol in the associated course, and rewatch at your convenience.
CCNA’s Talking Brains webinar series ft. EPLED
VAST has been fortunate enough to work with and learn from the EPLED team and members of the EPLED Advisory Group. Information on the session is below and you can register to attend here.
A co-developed evaluation framework for a patient engagement program within a national research network
Speakers: Mastoora Rizai (EPLED practicum student), Karen Myers Barnett (EPLED Advisory Group member), Linda Grossman (EPLED Advisory Group alumna), and Ellen Snowball (EPLED program manager)
While there is growing consensus on the importance of engaging people with lived experience in research (i.e., patient engagement or patient involvement), less is known of the best approaches to evaluating these initiatives. Without evaluation, efforts to assess the impact or improve practice are limited, risking not only failing to achieve intended benefits but potentially having negative effects (e.g., research waste, experiences of tokenism). In this webinar, presenters will describe the co-development of a tailored evaluation framework for Engagement of People with Lived Experience of Dementia (EPLED), a CCNA program and Advisory Group composed of people with lived experience (i.e., people living with dementia, family and current or former caregivers/care partners), recruited from across Canada, to be engaged in research. This webinar will provide participants with an understanding of participatory evaluation and an example of applying a flexible process for co-developing an evaluation framework in the context of the CCNA’s EPLED program.
VAST Non-Academic Career Panel
There’s a plethora of careers out there, some of which you might not even be aware of. You might be interested in continuing further academic training in pursuit of a career in academia, or you might be interested in exploring opportunities outside of the university. Tune in to hear about some career paths that could follow your academic pursuits. There are no right answers, but lots of options – how exciting!
VAST has assembled a panel that has offered to shed some light on their own career journeys, and maybe you’ll take away some learnings that will inform your own career trajectory.
Learn more about each of our panelists below:
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About Suzanne: Suzanne combines her technical background in Neuroscience with nearly 20 years of Intellectual Property experience to effectively develop and manage her clients’ IP assets.
As a registered patent and trademark agent, Suzanne provides clients with legal opinions on patentability, trademark registration, freedom-to-operate, due diligence analysis, and IP portfolio management. Suzanne’s clients include a broad range of early-stage and established companies and post-secondary institutions.
Suzanne grew up in Lethbridge and attended the University of Lethbridge, earning a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience. After completing her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Alberta, Suzanne attended law school at the U of A with an aim to practice intellectual property, bridging the gap between the scientific and legal spheres.
About Anova: At Anova Law Group, we engage with innovators and businesses at every stage of their intellectual property journey. Whether developing your first invention, managing a growing portfolio, or protecting your assets in an evolving market, our team is here to help navigate the legal steps every step of the way.
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About Shawn: Shawn Davison is an Associate Director of Medical Writing within the Regulatory Affairs team at AbCellera Biologics. He previously held roles as a clinical scientist/writer/statistician in academic, consulting, and industry settings and has been active in the clinical science space for more than 30 years. Shawn lives in Vancouver, BC and loves exercise and the outdoors.
About ABCellera: AbCellera is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing antibody-based medicines in the areas of endocrinology, women’s health, immunology, and oncology.
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About Craig: Craig Doram is the co-founder and CEO of Stroke.AI Inc. He is also the Director of Business Operations for the Calgary Stroke Program and its Stroke Clinical Trials Group at the UofC. He is an engineer, climber, coffee snob, x-coffee roaster, x-climbing gym owner, and generally just a crazy human who likes disrupting things.
About Stroke.AI: Stroke.ai has a mission to improve lives by transforming the technology of monitoring body movement. We are developing a clinically validated IoT solution utilizing proprietary hardware and a machine learning enabled platform for use in stroke
Building the BRIDGE between Research and Dementia-Friendly Communities
About the Talk: Given our aging Canadian population, and the increased number of older adults with dementia, it is highly likely that young people will encounter dementia, potentially within their own families, and certainly within the community. People with lived experience of dementia and informal caregivers have expressed that lack of education and stigma about dementia can lead to difficulties with engaging in community which thereby increases likelihood of social isolation. The creation of dementia friendly communities where people can feel understood, welcome and included is a major priority identified by Canadians with lived experience. BRIDGE (Broadening Relationships through Intergenerational Dementia Guidance and Education) was created in collaboration with the BC Dementia Care society and people with lived experience of dementia. The main goal of BRIDGE is to help scaffold the next generation of inclusive communities for individuals living with all types of dementia by engaging high school students. Broadly, this project aims to (1) understand the level of knowledge of dementia-related knowledge in high school students, (2) determine whether adapted tools (i.e., the UK Dementia-Friendly Generation and Flipping Stigma Toolkits) will be effective in educating about dementia-friendly communities and reducing stigma, and (3) determine community-based outcomes of providing dementia-friendly education to youth.
Learning Objectives:
Learn about research priorities of people with lived experience and explore gaps in dementia-related research
Learn about dementia friendly communities
Discover and learn about a community-involved research project (BRIDGE) aimed at fulfilling these gaps within the community
About the Speakers:
Dr. Jodie Gawryluk (left) a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, cross-appointed in the Division of Medical Sciences, and Director at the Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health at the University of Victoria. Dr. Gawryluk’s research using neuropsychological and neuroimaging approaches to understand both healthy aging and neurodegenerative conditions. As part of the CARING Dementia Collaborative, she is also involved in research that helps communities become more age and dementia inclusive.
Bhavana Gill (right) is a first-year Masters student at the University of Victoria, where she is studying Clinical Neuropsychology under the supervision of Dr. Jodie Gawryluk. Broadly, her research focuses on improving diagnosis, intervention, and care for individuals with neurodegenerative conditions. Specifically, Bhavana has focused her training on understanding various aspects of dementia as well as exploring how to improve outcomes for individuals living with dementia. Bhavana is passionate about knowledge translation and hopes to integrate research and community-based work with the BRIDGE project.
March Journal Club
Speaker: Isabel Rea (left)
Paper: Endothelial TDP-43 depletion disrupts core blood–brain barrier pathways in neurodegeneration
Talk Description: TDP43 dysfunction is a hallmark of both ALS-FTD and AD. However, how TDP43 dysfunction can contribute to vascular, and ultimately BBB dysfunction in these diseases is not yet understood. In this presentation, I will describe and critically evaluate how Omar et al. identify disease-associated changes to endothelial cells and microglia from ALS-FTD and AD patients that are driven by a loss of nuclear TDP43.
About the Speaker: Isabel is a PhD candidate at the University of Calgary supervised by Dr. Minh Dang Nguyen and Dr. Jeff Biernaskie. Her research focuses on how the gut microbiome modulates sex differences in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal dementia (ALS-FTD).
Speaker: Sam Coleborn (right)
Paper: Social isolation and subclinical vascular pathways to cerebrovascular disease
Talk Description: Psychosocial factors like social support are known to influence risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, yet the underlying mechanism through which they exert their effects remain unclear. This paper by Arcidiamcono et al. (2023) explores how social relationships are related to arterial stiffness and cerebrovascular hemodynamic pulsatility. In my presentation I will highlight the importance of psychosocial factors like social relationship quality for vascular and cognitive aging and how critically important it is to leverage such factors to promote positive health outcomes.
About the Speaker: Sam is a master’s student in psychology at the University of Victoria, supervised by Dr. Jodie Gawryluk & Dr. Stuart MacDonald. Her research explores how lifestyle factors like social connection influence brain health throughout the lifespan and is passionate about utilizing such factors to promote successful aging.
First Nations and Métis understandings of dementia risk reduction: Findings from Northwestern Ontario and Alberta
About the Talk: Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) experience a higher prevalence of dementia than non-Indigenous people in Canada. Due to lasting and ongoing effects of colonization and colonial policies, Indigenous Peoples have higher rates of risk factors for dementia such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released 94 Calls to Action urging the federal government, in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, to close these health disparities. Additionally, Canada’s National Dementia Strategy calls for additional work to improve brain health and dementia prevention resources and initiatives for Indigenous communities. Ensuring risk reduction is culturally relevant and culturally distinct is therefore an urgent priority in Canadian health systems. This webinar will discuss current scope of risk reduction, and how this can be understood within First Nation and Métis worldviews. The speakers will share research done in partnership with different communities in Canada (First Nation communities in Northwestern Ontario and Métis communities in Alberta), including what they have learned from these communities in terms of their distinct understandings of dementia, health, and risk reduction. The webinar will end with a discussion on what next steps can and will be taken to support culturally safe dementia care.
Learning objectives:
Increase knowledge around key dementia risk factors for Indigenous populations in Canada, including social determinants of health
Understand the importance of culturally distinct research and care in addressing dementia risk
Understand the current scope of risk reduction, and how this can be broadened through Indigenous perspectives
Learn about existing research and community-led initiatives focussed on dementia prevention and risk reduction for Indigenous people in Canada
Identify priority areas of future research and practice for Indigenous dementia prevention and risk reduction
About the Speakers:
Brittany Skov (she/her) (left) began her PhD in clinical psychology at Lakehead University in 2025 under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Mushquash and Dr. Jennifer Walker. She completed her MA in clinical psychology at Lakehead University (2025) and her HBSc in psychology and Indigenous Studies at the University of Victoria (2023).Brittany is originally from southern Ontario and is a member of the Mississauga’s of the Credit First Nation with Dutch, Danish, Irish, and German ancestry. Her research interests centre on prevention and reducing the risk of the incidence and progression of chronic illnesses among Indigenous populations, healthy brain aging and dementia, and community-based/led research. She is also interested in approaches to improving access to culturally safe care through education. Brittany is a Vanier scholar and supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Shanaya von Scheel (she/her) (right) is Cree from Cowessess First Nations, and lives and works in Mokinstsis (colonially known as Calgary), on Treaty 7 territory. She is a Research Associate in Indigenous Brain Health at the University of Calgary. She holds a Master’s in Social Justice and Human Rights, and has a passion for health equity, social determinants of health, and Indigenous human rights.
Perfusion and Prejudice: Multimodal Models of Cognitive Decline
Simon Duchesne, Associate Professor in the Radiology Department at Université Laval, will be delivering this week’s VAST seminar.
More info coming soon!
MRI Biomarkers for Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Dementia
Hanzhang Lu, PhD – Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Brain imaging provides an important opportunity for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment monitoring in vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID). Imaging biomarkers have evolved substantially over the past decade. Overt clinical lesions such as white matter hyperintensities and lacunar infarcts are the classic markers of small vessel disease. Microstructural damages using diffusion MRI have also demonstrated considerable potential. A recent trend is to move the biomarker development to earlier and potentially more sensitive cerebrovascular imaging assessments. The brain’s vasodilatory capacity, measured by cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), represents an important physiological parameter of vascular health. In this talk, Dr. Hanzhang Lu discusses a potential framework of biomarkers for the classification of VCID, specifically describing CVR as a candidate biomarker in small vessel disease related VCID.
Register on the Center for Brain Health Website
April Journal Club
Speaker: Ibadat Warring
Paper: Risk factors of male and female Alzheimer's disease patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms
Learning Objectives: To examine sex-specific cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD)
About the speaker: Ibadat Warring is a first-year Master of Science student in Community Health Sciences, specializing in Epidemiology. Her master’s research examines cognition, behaviour, and functional outcomes in dementia-free residents living in continuing care settings, with a focus on understanding early indicators of dementia risk.
Beyond her academic work, Ibadat is deeply committed to community engagement. She is the founder of the South Asian Senior Support Society, an organization dedicated to fostering social connection and promoting health literacy among seniors in both care homes and community settings. She has facilitated caregiver support groups with Alzheimer Calgary, volunteered in patient engagement roles with older adults, and contributed to local health initiatives aimed at improving senior well-being.
Speaker: Kaden Lam
Speaker: Andrew Ijever
February Journal Club
Speaker: Caroline Dallaire-Théroux, PhD (Top Left)
Paper: Revised Diagnostic Criteria for Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Dementia-The VasCog-2-WSO Criteria
About the Speaker: Caroline Dallaire-Théroux is a newly graduated neurologist and postdoctoral fellow at Université Laval, with a research focus on radiological and serum biomarkers in age-related neurocognitive disorders. She has a particular interest in vascular etiologies of cognitive decline, such as cerebral small vessel diseases. She will soon pursue further training in Cognitive Neurology at University of Calgary, specializing in cerebral amyloid angiopathy and vascular cognitive impairment.
Speaker: Jasper Crockford (Top Right)
Paper: Reproductive hormones in relation to white matter hyperintensity volumes among midlife women
Talk Description: Reproductive hormones have been implicated in risk of cerebral small vessel disease in females, yet the specific relationships between circulating reproductive hormones and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) remain underexplored. In this talk, I will present findings from Thurston et al. (2024), which examined associations between steroid hormones –estradiol, estrone, and follicle-stimulating hormone– and WMH volume in females from the MsBrain study. The goal of this presentation is to highlight potential hormonal contributors to cerebrovascular brain aging in females during mid- to late life.
About the Speaker: Jasper is a second-year Medical Science master’s student in the joint MSc/MD Leaders in Medicine program at the University of Calgary, supervised by Dr. Zahinoor Ismail. Her research focuses on how menopause-related factors –including reproductive hormones, symptom burden, and menopause hormone therapy use– are associated with biological and clinical markers of Alzheimer disease.
Speaker: Akshan Bansal (Bottom Middle)
Talk Description: The papers finds an integrated solution across biomarkers of WM integrity (white matter hyperintensities (WMH), polygenic risk scores (PRS) for mean diffusivity (MD), fractional anisotropy (FA)) obtained with T1 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), RNA methylation of Cytosine-Guanine pairs, and expressional change in gene sequences with functional test scores on STR-LTS and Stroop for a cross-sectional healthy aging cohort.
The aim of the presentation is to take attendees through a research framework utilizing neuroimaging, neuropsychological assessment, statistical data analysis, and machine learning classification (sPLS-DA).
Speak Startup: Mastering the Lingo of the Innovation Ecosystem
This workshop is presented by the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI)’s Science Collaborative (CSC). If you are interested in attending, then you must sign up as a member of the CSC at the link.
Workshop Details:
Think of the innovation ecosystem as a different field of study with its own nomenclature. This workshop is designed to translate complex business terms—like Pivot, MVP, and De-risking—into a framework that makes sense to the scientific mind. We will explore the commercialization journey through short, interactive sprints, helping you connect your research milestones to the metrics that stakeholders in the Innovation Ecosystem care about most.
About the speaker
Ana Fernandez, PhD, is a Program Manager at CABHI in Montreal, QC, where she manages the programs that identify, fund, and accelerate the most promising startups in the aging and brain health space. Ana leads programs that provide critical funding and strategic guidance to innovators. Her work is centred on ensuring that groundbreaking research in aging and brain health successfully navigates the path from validation to sustainable business growth.
With over six years of experience in the Canadian innovation ecosystem, Ana’s expertise spans the full commercialization spectrum—from early-stage incubation to strategic investment. Before joining CABHI, she played a pivotal role at D3 Innovation Hub, where she helped scientists and students transform research into scalable startups. Having spent years in research herself, Ana brings a unique "insider" perspective to the challenges of translational science.
AI in Medicine: From Science to Application
Speaker: Dr. Nils Daniel Forkert, PhD
About the talk: Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to be a key tool for converting big data into tangible benefits in this increasingly data-driven world. Healthcare is no exception to this. The increased availability of diagnostic tools and techniques has increased the amount of medical data acquired and available for a single patient as well as at the population level. However, the sheer amount of data can be challenging and time-consuming to analyze. Supervised machine learning (ML) has great potential to augment clinical decision-making, alleviate the clinical burden, and promote precision in healthcare delivery. Despite the promise of ML to improve patient care and support medical doctors with complicated cases, the reality is that only a limited number of methods developed in the research domain are available and approved for clinical use today. In this talk, I will discuss some of the main barriers preventing a clinical application of AI for routine clinical use and present promising solutions to overcome current problems.
About the Speaker: Dr. Nils Daniel Forkert, PhD (h-index 49, citations 8900), is a Professor at the University of Calgary in the Departments of Radiology, Clinical Neurosciences, and Electrical and Software Engineering. He received his German diploma in Computer Science in 2009 from the University of Hamburg, his master’s degree in medical physics in 2012 from the Technical University of Kaiserslautern, his PhD in computer science in 2013 from the University of Hamburg, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University before joining the University of Calgary as an Assistant Professor in 2014. He is an imaging and machine learning scientist who develops new image processing methods, predictive algorithms, and software tools for the analysis of medical data. This includes the extraction of clinically relevant parameters and biomarkers from medical data describing the morphology and function of organs with the aim of supporting clinical studies and preclinical research as well as developing computer-aided diagnosis and patient-specific, precision-medicine, prediction models using machine learning based on multi-modal medical data. Dr. Forkert is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Medical Image Analysis, and Director of the Child Health Data Science Program of the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute as well as the Theme Lead for Machine Learning in Neuroscience of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary. He has published over 230 peer-reviewed manuscripts, over 100 full-length proceedings papers, 1 book, and 2 book chapters. He has received major funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Calgary Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health as a PI or co-PI. He currently supervises six postdoctoral fellows, two PhD students, and seven MSc students demonstrating his dedication to training the next generation of data science researchers.
Key Issues Facing 2SLGBTQIA+ People Living with Dementia and Their Carers
This presentation will draw on published and emerging research to explore key issues facing 2SLGBTQIA+ people living with dementia and their carers. This includes issues related to recognition of identity and relationships, navigating healthcare access, identifying support networks and substitute decision-makers, and the impacts of cis-heteronormativity on gender affirming care.
Learning Objectives:
1. Learn about the specific challenges faced by 2SLGBTQIA+ people living with dementia and their carers through an LGBTQ-affirmative lens.
2. Increase knowledge of promising practices to support 2SLGBTQIA+ people living with dementia.
3. Identify profession & workplace-specific areas for advocacy and practice change
About the speaker: Dr. Celeste Pang is an Assistant Professor in Women's and Gender Studies in the Department of Humanities at Mount Royal University. Her research, education, and community work focuses on aging, disability, and care access and equity, with significant focus on 2SLGBTQIA+ issues. This includes research on dementia and unpaid caregiving, consent and capacity in substitute decision-making, and on homecare and long-term care.
Before joining MRU Celeste completed a PhD and Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto, and worked as a community-based researcher.
January Journal Club
Speaker: Emma Pineau (Left)
Paper: Age differences in spontaneous cerebrovascular reactivity at rest
Learning Objectives:
We will learn about spontaneous cerebrovascular reactivity (sCVR), derived from arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging as a metric to describe vulnerability to vascular dysfunction
We will discuss the paper's findings of alterations in sCVR with age, in the absence of cognitive decline
We will consider the implications of sCVR as a non-invasive, rapidly acquired metric, that may serve as an early biomarker of susceptibility to vascular dementia and related illnesses
About the Speaker: Emma is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto, supervised by Dr. Bojana Stefanovic and Dr. Maged Goubran. Her graduate research focuses on the substantial inter-individual variability in both the neurophysiological effects and clinical symptomatology of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. She aims to leverage this variability, together with advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques, to develop methods for tailoring therapies to individual patients’ needs.
Speaker: Olayinka Akinrolie, PhD (Right)
Presentation Title: Is There a Link Between Vascular Risk Factors and Brain Changes in Older Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?
Learning Objectives:
Describe white matter lesions and their relevance in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Review the prevalence of vascular risk factors, including hypertension and diabetes, among adults with ADHD.
Examine the current evidence linking vascular risk factors to white matter lesions in older adults, with a focus on individuals with ADHD.
About the Speaker: Olayinka Akinrolie, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Lifespan Brain Health Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary, under the supervision of Dr. Brandy Callahan. His research focuses on physical activity, health promotion, and ADHD in older adults. His current work examines the interactive effects of physical activity and vascular risk factors on brain changes among adults with ADHD.
Endothelial-driven cerebrovascular dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease.
Speaker Name: Dr. Milène Vandal
About the Seminar: Cerebrovascular defects involving brain endothelial cells (BECs) are linked to cognitive dysfunction; however, the causes of these deficits remain elusive. In this study, we show that lower vascular CD2AP is associated with worse cognitive function in both mice and a human cohort of volunteers with Alzheimer’s disease. Using two-photon microscopy in awake animals, we found that loss of BEC CD2AP leads to reduced blood flow at rest and during neurovascular coupling, and it worsens the vascular response to amyloid-beta, particularly in male mice. Antagonizing the endothelin-1 receptor ETA improved blood flow in male mice lacking BEC CD2AP but had no effect in female mice. Finally, we identified a new binding partner for CD2AP, apolipoprotein E receptor 2 (ApoER2), a receptor for the vasodilatory glycoprotein reelin. CD2AP modulates ApoER2 levels and signaling in endothelial cells, and reelin increases blood flow in mice with reduced BEC CD2AP. In summary, our work defines a previously unknown endothelial signaling pathway that connects vascular dysfunction to cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease.
About the speaker: Milène is a postdoctoral associate in the laboratory of Dr. Minh Dang Nguyen and Dr. Grant Gordon at the University of Calgary. Milène’s research focuses on how the brain endothelium contributes to vascular and cognitive function. To study this, post-mortem human brain samples, transgenic mouse lines, and two-photon microscopy in awake animals are all used. These projects are supported by CIHR and AIHS postdoctoral fellowships, a BBRF Young Investigator Grant, and, more recently, an Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship.
Info Session: International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART)
During this 45-minute session, Daniella Vellone and Jasper Crockford, 2025 Canadian ISTAART Ambassadors (and fellow VASTees), will introduce ISTAART and discuss how it can support your professional development, including:
Networking and mentorship through 30+ Professional Interest Areas (PIAs)
Access to Alzheimer’s Association conferences, journals, and grant opportunities
Free and discounted membership options for students and early-career researchers
Global collaboration and leadership opportunities through the Ambassador program
Resources for those studying or supporting people living with dementia
This session is open to all trainees, researchers, and clinicians. There will be time for a Q&A at the end, so you can ask any questions about membership, benefits, or getting involved.
ISTAART offers a welcoming and interdisciplinary community to grow your career and connect with peers worldwide.
📍 Register by clicking here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
🌐 Learn more at alz.org/ISTAART
📣 Follow ISTAART on Twitter and LinkedIn
2026 Amplitude Fellowship Virtual Information Session
Ready to build the future of medicine? Apply to the Amplitude Fellowship!
We are currently recruiting entrepreneurial, health-focused PhDs, Postdocs, and MDs looking to move beyond academia. This is your chance to turn ambitious “what if” biotech concepts into reality at our summer fellowship.
This is an in-person program running from May 2026-August 2026 out of the Amplitude Ventures office located in downtown Montreal.
For more information, please visit: https://preampbio.com/
THIS IS A VIRTUAL SESSION ON ZOOM. DETAILS BELOW:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88381262098?pwd=I36B3uNSOXJqTwmjlw5Pt10imAUQvZ.1
Meeting ID: 883 8126 2098
Passcode: 316817
Large-scale cerebrovascular proteomics and the investigation of neurodegenerative diseases.
Speaker Name: Dr. AmanPreet Badhwar, Associate Professor, FRQS J2 Scholar
Learning Objectives:
Section I: Introduction to mass spectrometry-based proteomics
Untargeted & Targeted approaches
Section II: Large-scale cerebrovascular proteomics
Approaches for cerebrovascular tissue enrichment (Examples: surgical | perfusion-labeling | filter-based)
Section III: Towards data-driven multiomics biotypes (time-permitting)
Data reduction techniques (Examples: clustering | panels | polygenic risk scores)
About the Speaker: Dr. AmanPreet Badhwar is an Associate Professor at the University of Montreal, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, as well as a researcher at the Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal. She co-leads the (a) Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded Vascular Training Platform, which focuses on vascular cognitive impairment research and innovation and (b) Imaging Platform of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging. She is also co-lead of our BBB PIA- Extracellular Vesicle Working group.
Dr. Badhwar’s academic path has been to study neurological disease by combining different data types, starting with small-scale genetics and brain imaging early in her career, and progressively moving to “big-data-analytics” in Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Badhwar directs the Multiomics Investigation of Neurodegenerative Diseases (MIND) Lab that focuses on integrating observations from in-vivo brain imaging and biofluid-based molecular ‘omics’ in the study of age-related dementias, with the goal of discovering new biomarkers and therapeutic targets, and improving methods to speed the drug discovery process. Dr. Badhwar holds several grants and has been awarded multiple prestigious scholarships/awards over the years, including the FRQS-Chercheur-boursiers-Junior2 and the 2022 Organization for Human Brain Mapping Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award. This award recognized her ongoing role in many initiatives that promote diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) within and beyond the organization. In general, Dr. Badhwar actively embeds DEI considerations in her research work (e.g., in study design, training/mentoring, collaborations), which she considers to be a key to achieving reproducible research excellence.
November Journal Club
Speaker: Sara Early (left)
Paper: Cross-cohort evaluation of the brain age gap as a biomarker for dementia severity
This study explores how the brain age gap (BAG), the difference between an individual's machine learning–predicted brain age and their chronological age, varies across stages and subtypes of dementia. Using a deep learning model trained on structural MRI, we examined patterns of accelerated brain aging associated with different pathologies. Our findings highlight BAG as a promising, non-invasive biomarker of neurodegenerative severity that could support earlier diagnosis and more personalized dementia care strategies.
About the Speaker: Sara Early is a third-year PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Calgary, specializing in medical imaging. Under the supervision of Dr. Nils Forkert, her research focuses on developing reliable machine learning models for dementia assessment across diverse clinical stages and subtypes. Originally from Ontario, she moved out west to make the most of the Rocky Mountains while pursuing her graduate studies, often spending her free time hiking or skiing.
Speaker: Elvira Vasquez (right)
About the talk: This talk will cover the basic principles of ultrasound for vasculature imaging. In particular, we will discuss:
Contrast agents such as microbubbles and gas vesicles
Ultrasound localization microscopy
Non-linear sound-sheet microscopy
Superharmonic contrast imaging
Current ultrasound applications in pre-clinical neuroimaging
About the Speaker: Elvira Vazquez is a fourth-year PhD candidate in Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on the development of superharmonic contrast imaging, a novel ultrasound technique to image vasculature, to study stroke under the supervision of Dr. Christine Demore and Dr. Bojana Stefanovic. Elvira completed her B.Sc. in Honours Physics at McGill University.
Speaker: Thomas Oldreive (Rescheduled from Oct 6)
Paper: Utility of cerebrovascular imaging biomarkers to detect cerebral amyloidosis
Feedback - How to Receive it, Give it, and Profit From it
Research training (and research) is full of feedback: come join us for an interactive session on how to stop dreading it, get better at receiving it, profit from the learnings and improve your ability to give it. We will go into breakout sessions to work on scenarios after a short talk.
About the speaker:
Dr. Stefanovic is a Senior Scientist and Director of Physical Sciences at the Sunnybrook Research Institute, and a Professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. Dr. Stefanovic holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair Tier in Functional Brain Neuroimaging. Her research focuses on the development of new methods for quantitative in vivo imaging of brain function. Her laboratory works on the development and application of in vivo high field functional MRI, two-photon fluorescence microscopy, and ultra-high density extracellular recordings of neuronal activity. Her team is investigating neurovascular dysfunction in transgenic models of Alzheimer’s disease, during chronic stage of recovery from focal ischemic stroke and following traumatic brain injury. Dr. Stefanovic’s laboratory is also working on the development of effective neuromodulation protocols in dementia and stroke. Dr. Stefanovic is a faculty member of the Toronto Initiative for Diversity and Excellence (TIDE).
Lessons from innovators: biomarkers
There have been major, and rapid, advances in the development of biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. This virtual workshop brings together international experts to explore the lessons from that rapid innovation and the challenges and opportunities to advancing progress.
Format
Expert presentations will kick off the event, offering insights into biomarker innovations and their potential to transform diagnosis, treatment and research. This will be followed by a roundtable discussion where all participants are encouraged to share their thoughts and perspectives.
Output
This is the first workshop convened by the World Dementia Council exploring innovation in dementia. The overall programme will inform a paper for Alzheimer’s & Dementia. Participation is by invitation only.
Date: Friday October 31 2025
Time: 1100-1230 EST / 1500-1630 GMT / 1600-1730 IST
Platform: Zoom
For more information on participating in the meeting please contact info@worlddementiacouncil.com
HippoCamera: A neuroscience-guided digital platform to improve memory for everyday events
Our memories play a critical role in shaping how we interact with the world, understand ourselves, and connect with others. This talk will introduce HippoCamera, a smartphone-based tool inspired by how the brain supports memory, designed to enhance real-world episodic recollection by guiding users to create and review personalized reminiscence cues. Here, I will cover the scientific research demonstrating the benefits of HippoCamera. In addition, I will go over the commercialization path of HippoCamera thus far, with the ultimate goal of providing an effective, accessible, and easy-to-use solution for those looking to maintain memory.
Bryan Hong is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow researching memory and aging at the University of Toronto with Dr. Morgan Barense in the Department of Psychology. Broadly, his research investigates the cognitive mechanisms underlying our ability to encode, organize, retain, and retrieve information. In addition, he is the Co-Founder and Chief Science/Product Officer of Dynamic Memory Solutions Inc., where he has been working on the development and validation of HippoCamera, a smartphone app that leverages principles from cognitive psychology and neuroscience to help mitigate memory loss for events from our day-to-day lives.
October Journal Club
Speaker: Reza Khazaee (left), PhD Candidate, Dept. of Biology, Western University
Learning Objectives: Attendees will gain an appreciation of -
How the stress-response protein p66Shc contributes to oxidative stress and ischemia/reperfusion brain injury,
How post-ischaemic silencing of p66Shc influences infarct size, neurological outcomes, and blood-brain barrier integrity, and
Why p66Shc expression in stroke patients may serve as a clinically relevant marker of short-term recovery.
About the Speaker: Reza Khazaee is a PhD candidate in Biology at Western University, where he studies the interplay between oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and impaired neurogenesis in Alzheimer’s disease, with a focus on redox-related signalling pathways such as p66Shc and Nrf2. He has extensive expertise in fluorescence and electron microscopy and previously worked as a Microscopy Specialist at the Biotron Imaging Facility, supporting and training researchers in advanced imaging techniques. For his postdoctoral research, Reza will collaborate with the Whitehead Lab to develop biosensor-based approaches for real-time monitoring of neurodegenerative biomarkers in vivo, linking vascular dysfunction to cognition.
Speaker: Heidi Riek (right)
About the Speaker: Heidi completed a BScH in Life Science, followed by a PhD in Neuroscience, both at Queen’s University. Her doctoral work explored the use of eye tracking as a source of behavioural markers for neurodegenerative disease, including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. She is currently a new postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Rick Swartz at Sunnybrook Research Institute.
Speaker: Thomas Oldreive (Rescheduled from Oct 6)
Paper: Utility of cerebrovascular imaging biomarkers to detect cerebral amyloidosis
Learning Objectives:
Cerebrovascular imaging biomarkers can aid in predicting cerebral amyloid load, over basic demographic data
The mechanisms connecting cerebrovascular disease and AD are complex and multi-facetted
Multi-modal prediction offers a unique opportunity to understand the relationships between diseases
12th Canadian Conference on Dementia
The 12th Canadian Conference on Dementia brings together a group of national and international scholars to share clinically relevant, cutting-edge developments in dementia research. The biennial conference is organized by the the Canadian Colloquium on Dementia and the University Health Network.
This year's theme is across the dementia cognitive continuum: prevention, precision medicine, and practice implications. The keynotes, plenaries, parallel sessions, and workshops will focus on multiple aspects of dementia diagnosis and management in the Canadian context, with a focus on diversity and change in dementia care and research. Best practices and clinical pearls will be explored.
The Gait, Mood, and Cognition Triad: Networks and Interventions
XIX Gait & Brain Seminar - Organized by the Gait & Brain Lab and The Brain Health Care (BHCare) Training Platform - Register for this seminar here.
Speaker: Amer Burhan MD, MBChB, MSc, FRCPC Geriatric Psychiatrist, Research Chair and Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Ontario Shores Centre for mental health sciences and University of Toronto
About the Speaker: Dr. Amer Burhan is a geriatric psychiatrist, clinician-scientist, and researcher dedicated to improving the lives of older adults living with dementia and mental illness. He serves as the Endowed Chair for Applied Mental Health Research at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences in Whitby, ON and teaches psychiatry at the University of Toronto and Western University. Originally trained as a physician in Baghdad, Dr. Burhan went on to specialize in psychiatry and geriatric neuropsychiatry in North America, later earning a Master’s in Community Health to better understand how to bring science into practice.
His work bridges cutting-edge research and compassionate care, from using non-invasive brain stimulation and virtual reality to improve dementia care, to leading national and international collaborations on brain health and aging. With more than 75 scientific papers, multiple books and chapters, and over $10 million in research funding, he continues to push forward innovations that support patients, families, and the healthcare system.
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this activity, the participant will be able to:
1Recognize the clinical and neuroscientific basis of the gait, mood, and cognition triad
Describe the impact of this triad on the wellbeing of older adults
Examine the effect of antidepressant medications and brain stimulation intervention on this triad
Sponsors: Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University; ProtoKinetics – Mike Rowling
Acknowledgements: Gait and Brain Lab and the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University; Wolfe Research Professorship on Aging.
"September" Journal Club
Journal Club is usually hosted on the last Monday of the month. To avoid conflicting with any events that might take place the day before National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30), we’ve moved September’s Journal Club to the following week.
Speaker: Thomas Oldreive (left) (Rescheduled to October 27)
Paper: Utility of cerebrovascular imaging biomarkers to detect cerebral amyloidosis
Learning Objectives:
Cerebrovascular imaging biomarkers can aid in predicting cerebral amyloid load, over basic demographic data
The mechanisms connecting cerebrovascular disease and AD are complex and multi-facetted
Multi-modal prediction offers a unique opportunity to understand the relationships between diseases
About the speaker: Thomas is entering the second year of his MSc in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Calgary, studying under Dr. Philip A. Barber and Dr. M. Ethan MacDonald. His research looks to combine multimodal biomarkers, including MR imaging, blood tests, genotyping, and demographic data, with machine learning to predict late life cognitive decline in stroke patients. Before his master’s Thomas was a chemical engineering working in the energy industry for over three years.
Speaker: Yasaman Shafaee (right)
Paper: Vascular reactivity in small cerebral perforating arteries with 7 T phase contrast MRI– A proof of concept study
About the speaker: Yasaman completed a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Physics at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran. Currently training at Carelton University, the scope of Yasaman’s PhD thesis aims to make measurements of oxygen metabolism (i.e., CMRO2) using calibrated fMRI more reliable during transient periods of brain activity, such as shortly after a stimulus is turned on/off or in the resting state.
Peer Review, Editing, and Scientific Publication: An Insider’s Perspective
Curious about peer review, editing and scientific publication? In this workshop, Dr. Eric Smith, the Deputy Editor of Stroke, will discuss peer review and scientific publication from an insider’s perspective. Learn how journals set priorities, solicit papers, and manage peer review.
This will be an interactive workshop where we will work through the review process. Registrants will be assigned a research paper and must submit a review of the paper prior to the workshop. These reviews, anonymized, will be discussed during the workshop with the goal of highlighting good practices in peer review. You’ll have the opportunity to receive feedback on your review skills, and get into the nitty gritty of the review process. This is a helpful tool in considering what reviewers will be looking for in your own publications as well!
Following this workshop, registrants will have learned how journals evaluate submissions for publication and how to do a good peer review.
CABHI Knowledge Mobilization Workshop
This workshop is open to members of the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation’s (CABHI) Science Collaborative (CSC). To learn more and to register to be part of the CSC, visit their website.
CSC Workshop: "What's knowledge mobilization got to do with it?"
Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Format: Hybrid (In-person and virtual)
In-Person Location:
CABHI Boardroom
CABHI at Baycrest
1st Floor, Kimel Family Building (Entrance #4)
3560 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON, M6A 2E1
Virtual Attendance:
If you registered to attend virtually, the Zoom link will be sent to you before the event.
Workshop Details:
About: Are you curious about how to make your research go further? This workshop introduces the concept of knowledge mobilization (KMb) and why it matters to your work. Discover how KMb helps translate research into real-world impact, with practical strategies and tools to share and advance your findings. Put ideas into practice through an interactive activity to craft and communicate your own research snapshot.
Speakers: Natalie Leventhal, Knowledge Broker, CABHI and Adi Rittenberg, MScOT, OT Reg (Ont.), Manager, Strategic Relations, CABHI
Cluster Webinar | Cognitive Impairment After Stroke
On behalf of Dr. Bogna Anna Drozdowska, a member of the VAST network, you’re invited to attend this webinar, which also features a presentation by another VASTee - Thomas Oldreive!
https://sciforum.net/event/cluster-2?subscribe§ion=#welcome
Thank you for your interest in this webinar on post-stroke cognitive impairment – an issue affecting the lives of millions of people worldwide, contributing to loss of independence, reduced social participation, and diminished overall quality of life. With this profound impact increasingly recognized, advancing strategies to better prevent, assess, and manage cognitive dysfunction has emerged as a top priority in stroke research.
In this webinar, we bring together an international group of researchers to share current findings from community-based studies, psychometric validation, neuroimaging, and clinical trials. Through five diverse presentations, we hope all attendees – whether academics, clinicians or policymakers – will take away practical insights to inform their work and inspire future efforts to improve cognitive outcomes following stroke.
Exercise to promote brain health in vascular cognitive impairment.
Speaker: Teresa Liu-Ambrose, PhD, PT
In this session, we will discuss exercise can protect brain health in older adults with vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). Drawing from clinical trials, she will share evidence that aerobic and resistance training improve cognitive function, as well as brain health, in this population.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the evidence supporting exercise as a non-pharmacological intervention for cognitive health in older adults with VCI.
Identify the types and intensities of exercise shown to benefit cognitive outcomes in this population.
VasCog 2025
The International Society of Vascular Behavioural and Cognitive Disorders
Interest in the vascular causes of various brain disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, mild cognitive impairment, depression, and other behavioural disorders has grown immensely over the last decade. Recent evidence suggests that these brain disorders may be delayed or even prevented by treatment of vascular risk factors such as hypertension and hypercholesterolemia.
The potential implications of these findings span a diverse arena of both scientific and clinical interest and it is increasingly apparent that a forum for discussion and education on vascular causes of various brain disorders is needed. Such a forum should also develop research strategies to address key issues in cerebrovascular disorders.The International Society of Vascular Behavioural and Cognitive Disorders.
Where: University of southampton, Southampton, Hampshire, UK
When: September 15th – 18th, 2025
What: Master Classes, Plenaries, Symposia and Debates
Expect abstract submissions to open March 2025. Check back on the website soon!
2025 VAST Summer Student Symposium
The VAST Summer Program encompasses a series of workshops and seminars targeted to undergraduate trainees in the field of VCI to help with overall VCI knowledge, research skills, and networking. While targeted to undergraduates, all are welcome to attend. This series is coordinated by our VAST Trainee Curriculum Committee members.
It culminates in the VAST Summer Student Symposium where the students have the opportunity to share the work that they’ve been doing over the last few months.
We are excited to have Dr. Caroline Dallaire-Théroux join us as our keynote speaker for this year’s Summer Student Symposium. Her talk, titled “BBB Matters: Uncovering Metabolic and Vascular Dysfunction Through Blood-Based Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease” will highlight the value of blood-based biomarkers in capturing key metabolic and vascular changes across the Alzheimer's disease (AD) continuum. Specifically, it will examine three peripheral markers of metabolic dysfunction – adiponectin, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21), and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2) – and their associations with clinical stages of the disease. Preliminary findings on serum placental growth factor (PlGF) will also be presented, aiming to establish its role as a potential marker of concomitant cerebrovascular pathology in AD. These blood-based biomarkers offer promising avenues for understanding disease mechanisms, providing accessible diagnostic and monitoring tools, and guiding new therapeutic strategies.
Caroline Dallaire-Théroux is a newly graduated neurologist and postdoctoral fellow at Université Laval, with a research focus on radiological and serum biomarkers in age-related neurocognitive disorders. She has a particular interest in vascular etiologies of cognitive decline, such as cerebral small vessel diseases. She will soon pursue further training in Cognitive Neurology at University of Calgary, specializing in cerebral amyloid angiopathy and vascular cognitive impairment.
View the 2025 VAST Summer Symposium Program here.
Interested in attending? Register to be part of the VAST network via the link at the top of the page.
VAST Journal Club
Presenter: Soraya Lahlou
Paper: Association of sleep behaviors with white matter hyperintensities and microstructural injury: a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of 26 354 participants (https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsad020)
Learning Objectives:
Learn about the relationship between unhealthy sleep behaviors and white matter hyperintensities, and
how vascular risk factors may influence this relationship
About the speaker: Soraya is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Montreal, where she is investigating the relationship between sleep and white matter hyperintensities across the dementias.
Networking Essentials for Your Next Conference
Does the idea of a networking reception make you want to stick with people you already know? You’re not alone — but these events are a valuable chance to meet new colleagues, build professional relationships, and find future collaborators.
Join us for this one-hour crash course designed to help you navigate conference networking with confidence. You'll learn how to:
Make a strong and memorable first impression
Identify the right people to approach
Ask thoughtful questions that spark meaningful conversations
Follow up effectively to turn new contacts into lasting connections
Whether you're attending your first conference or your tenth, this session will help you get more from every interaction.
About the Speaker: Gillian Robertson is a dynamic facilitator and coach with a career dedicated to helping individuals excel in their careers and navigate professional success. Drawing on extensive experience in recruitment, onboarding, talent management, and performance management, she knows the "secret sauce" to putting your best foot forward in any workplace.
With over seven years of coaching and training job seekers, Gillian is an expert in networking and personal branding. As a proud, born-and-raised Calgarian, she has firsthand knowledge of the city’s key industries and understands the nuances of how work gets done. Gillian loves designing and leading impactful programs that empower individuals to develop their skills, build confidence, and achieve their full potential. Connect with Gillian on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilliankrobertson/.
Leading Change: Innovators Shaping Stroke, Dementia, and VCI Care
Curious about how startups are shaping the future of brain health? In this interactive webinar, meet the CEOs of three companies innovating in the fields of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI), stroke, and dementia. They’ll share their personal journeys, company missions, and the challenges and breakthroughs they've encountered along the way. Whether you’re interested in entrepreneurship, research translation, or health innovation, this session will offer real-world insights and inspiration.
Company 1: Stroke.AI Inc.
Craig Doram is the co-founder and CEO of Stroke.AI Inc. He is also the Director of Business Operations for the Calgary Stroke Program and its Stroke Clinical Trials Group at the UofC. He is an engineer, climber, coffee snob, x-coffee roaster, x-climbing gym owner, and generally just a crazy human who likes disrupting things.
Stroke.ai has a mission to improve lives by transforming the technology of monitoring body movement. We are developing a clinically validated IoT solution utilizing proprietary hardware and a machine learning enabled platform for use in stroke
Company 2: blueBell Village
Andrew Karesa is a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and a proud husband and father of two young sons.
After witnessing how his family coped to support his grandmother with her Alzheimer's diagnosis, Andrew realized he needed to take action. This inspired the creation of blueBell Village, aimed at Restoring the Personhood and Independence of those living with dementia™. With blueBell, Andrew has seen lives transformed for both individuals living with dementia and their caregivers, and he is passionate about fostering a world where care is tailored to each individual’s needs.
Additionally, he is pursuing his doctorate at the University of Calgary, focusing his research on Indigenous entrepreneurship in the health sector. Andrew also holds an MBA from the University of Alberta. Before founding blueBell Village, he worked as a practicing engineer in the energy sector.
blueBell Village is an Indigenous-led organization reimagining dementia care by restoring the personhood and independence of those living with dementia. Rooted in lived experience and guided by Indigenous values, we focus on personalized, culturally appropriate support for both individuals and caregivers. Our digital tool, blueBell Connect, enables centralized communication among care teams, both formal and informal, while delivering tailored, evidence-informed care suggestions. By integrating community-driven knowledge with clinical best practices, we help families navigate dementia care with clarity, dignity, and cultural safety.
Company 3: Brain Care Technologies
Greg McGillis, PEng, MEng is an electrical and biomedical engineer. After 25 years in instrumentation, automation and control, he returned to university (University of Toronto) for a Masters in BioMedical Engineering. He started Brain Care Technologies to develop a solution to help detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia earlier, monitor treatment response and predict progression.
Greg and his team are developing a unique neurotechnology solution to detect changes in brain function incident to cognitive impairment. It will be a combination electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) medical device to provide biomarkers of MCI and dementia earlier, with greater accuracy, convenience, and clarity than alternative solutions. In addition to early detection, it will monitor treatment response and predict progression.
April Journal Club
Presenter: Ali Rezaei (left)
Paper: Exploring cognitive related microstructural alterations in normal appearing white matter and deep gray matter for Small Vessel Disease: A Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping study
Learning Objectives:
Understanding the role of normal appearing white matter (NAWM) and deep gray matter in cognition
Applications of quantitative susceptibility mapping in small vessel disease and relevant interpretations.
About the speaker:
Ali is a both PhD candidate in the Physics Department at Concordia University in the Quantitative Physiology Lab (QPI Lab) under supervision of Dr. Claudine Gauthier, and a VAST scholar. His area of research is MRI physics and quantitative MRI methods, specifically Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM). Ali completed both his Bachelor’s and Master’s in the Biomedical Engineering department of Amirkabir University of Tehran, Iran. He worked on left ventricle mechanical characteristics analysis using MRI during his Master’s, before shifting to brain imaging for his PhD. Ali enjoys talking to people, especially his peers, about various subjects from science to politics, and is happy to connect at any time.
Presenter: Matthew Rozak (right)
Paper: Brain capillary pericytes exert a substantial but slow influence on blood flow
Learning Objectives:
Understand the distinct location and function of unique mural cells with an emphasis on the dynamics of capillary constriction and their contribution to vascular tone regulation in vivo.
Appreciate key controversies underlying whether or not capillary pericytes are contractile.
Develop familiarity with invivo methods for examining blood flow at the capillary level with multiphoton excitation microscopy.
About the speaker:
Matthew Rozak is a 6th-year PhD student in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. He previously completed his Honours B.Sc. in Biological Physics at the University of Toronto. His current research focuses on developing imaging methods and analysis pipelines for characterizing microvascular coordination from 3D microscopy images.
Mapping the Whole Picture: Systems Thinking & Vascular Cognitive Impairment
This interactive online workshop introduces participants to systems thinking as a powerful tool for understanding the complex factors that influence vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). Through guided activities and real-world examples, attendees will explore how biological, social, and healthcare system-level factors interact to impact brain health outcomes. Participants will gain practical strategies for applying systems thinking to their own research, clinical practice, or advocacy work related to cognitive health.
This workshop will serve as a direct lead in to the micro hack-a-thon that we will be doing together at the VAST conference.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Define systems thinking and explain its relevance to understanding vascular cognitive impairment.
Use the Iceberg Model to analyze underlying structures and mental models that contribute to surface-level problems in VCI.
About the Speaker:
Joanne Nowak is Senior Innovation Manager at the Social Innovation Hub at Innovate Calgary. She supports social innovators to scale their impact by exploring sustainable pathways for their ideas — from launching new ventures, creating non-profits with blended finance models, to building strategic partnerships.
She also leads the Hub’s impact measurement and evaluation efforts, helping ventures define, track, and communicate their impact. Joanne holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Toronto, where her research focused on systems, social change, and inequality.
Her career and experience spans roles across universities, government, and non-profits in Canada and the United States, including Global Affairs Canada, Oxfam Canada, and the University of California Santa Barbara. Joanne brings this cross-sector experience to help innovators navigate complexity, scale what works, and create transformative social change.
The Role of Exercise on Cognition and Falls
Falls Conference Events
Organized by the Gait & Brain Lab and the CIHR Institutes of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis and the Institute of Aging Joined by The Brain Health Care (BHCare) Training Platform
Register here.
Tune in for the YouTube live stream.
Guest Speaker: Stephen R. Lord PhD
Scientia Professor
University of New South Wales
Neuroscience Research Australia
Professor Stephen Lord is a Scientia Professor at the University of New South Wales and a Senior Principal Research Fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) in Sydney, Australia. A globally recognized expert in balance, gait, and falls in older adults, he has published over 500 research papers on applied physiology, instability, falls in aging in clinical populations with balance impairments. He focuses on identifying psychological, sensorimotor, and balance-related risk factors for falls and developing effective fall prevention strategies.
His work has been instrumental in shaping fall-risk assessment methods used by researchers and clinicians worldwide. He was also a key contributor to the development of the World Falls Guidelines, which provide evidence-based recommendations for fall prevention and management on a global scale. Currently, his projects explore cognitive-motor interventions and innovative technologies to reduce fall risk, particularly in high-risk groups such as individuals with Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, dementia, stroke, and dizziness disorders. Professor Lord’s contributions continue to influence policy and practice, helping to advance fall prevention research and improve the health and well-being of older adults.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this activity, the participant will be able to:
Examine the role of exercise in enhancing cognition and balance in older adults
Explore current exercise interventions, based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs), that integrate cognitive and physical training to prevent falls.
Recognize the types, frequency, and intensity of exercise for effective fall prevention.
Agenda:
2:45 pm - Welcome Remarks
2:50 pm: - Dr. M. Montero-Odasso: “Exercises as Holy Grail for Brain Health and Falls Prevention”.
3:00 pm - Professor Stephen R. Lord - Lecture: “The Role of Exercise on Cognition and Falls” and “Questions & Answers”.
4:00 pm - Round Table Discussion: “Implementation of the World Falls Guidelines in Australia. Successes & Challenges.”
4:45 pm - Adjourn
Acknowledgements
Gait and Brain Lab and the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, at the Schulich School of
Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, Wolfe Research Professorship on Aging, and CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, CIHR Institute of Aging