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Message from the Director

Message from the Director: September 2019

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome back to the new academic year after what I hope was a restful and enjoyable summer break for all of you. I’m pleased to extend a warm welcome to our newest HBI members:

We look forward to working with each of you!

I continue to be impressed by and excited about the outstanding work being done here at the HBI. Looking ahead, our focus this year is on making an impact through research. We are now in the process of setting the direction for the next iteration of the Brain and Mental Health research strategy, and preparing for the strategy’s international review, scheduled for fall, 2020.

In these challenging times, it is more critical than ever for us to support each other’s ideas and innovations in research, education and collaborative community partnerships. The groundbreaking research that you, our members, develop at the bench is what continues to propel us forward as an international centre of excellence in neuroscience and mental health.

Please mark your calendars for some upcoming events you won’t want to miss:

  • October 4 – Think Big – Your Brain on Cannabis, Calgary Public Library Central Library, 6 pm featuring speakers Drs. Matthew Hill and Rebecca Haines-Saah.
  • October 9 – The Mathison Centre presents a Lunch & Learn, Understanding Schizophrenia with Dr. Chris Wilkes and the Schizophrenia Society of Alberta, also at the Calgary Public Library’s Central Library, Noon – 1:30 pm.
  • October 11 – N3 Research Day at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Amphitheatre, 9 am – 3:15 pm featuring keynote speaker Dr. Jeff Daskalakis and presentations by Drs. Alex McGirr, Frank MacMaster, Davide Martino, Sean Dukelow and Elizabeth Condliffe.
  • Save the date for our Fall Town Hall, November 4, Noon to 1 pm. A registration link will be emailed out soon.
  • And save the date for the HBI Holiday Party, December 13, 4 – 7 pm in the HRIC Atrium.

Read on in Brainworks for more information about these events and other highlights you won’t want to miss.

Finally, I want to thank all of you for your exceptional work and commitment on behalf of the HBI. I look forward to seeing you over the coming weeks.

David

David Park, PhD, FRSC
Director, Hotchkiss Brain Institute
Lead, Brain and Mental Health research strategy 
Professor, Depts. of Clinical Neurosciences
and Cell Biology & Anatomy
University of Calgary