Dr. Taufik Valiante is a staff Neurosurgeon and Senior Scientist at Toronto Western Hospital, Krembil Brain Institute and a Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto. In addition to his specialization in epilepsy surgery, Dr. Valiante is an expert in minimally invasive spine surgery, and cranial neurosurgery. Dr. Valiante’s vision is to build next generation devices to interrogate and modulate brain activity for treatment of neuropsychiatric conditions. Dr. Valiante’s research leverages access to the human brain through surgical treatment to enable research that spans from single neuron biophysics to the collective behaviour of billions of neurons underlying human cognition. 

Dr. Valiante has also notably established the Max Planck-University of Toronto Centre (MPUTC) for Neural Science and Technology, the Centre for Advancing Neurotechnological Innovation to Application (CRANIA), and the CRANIA Neuromodulation Institute (CNMI). These important entities drive the intersectionality of non-traditional scientific fields of medicine, engineering, and computational neuroscience working together to advance our knowledge and discovery potential that spans from the neuron to the whole brain.

Dr. William Scott is a neurology PGY3 at the University of Toronto with an interest in neurohospitalist and neurovascular topics. He completed his medical school at McMaster University and spends his free time playing sports, spending time with family and playing with his highly energetic dog. 

Wissam Al Mugheiry, MD, FRCSC is a board-certified neurosurgeon and fellow in Neurosurgical Oncology and Skull Base Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto, based at Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network.

He completed his neurosurgery residency at McGill University (Montreal Neurological Hospital, “The Neuro”), where he also earned a Master of Management in Health Leadership. His clinical practice and academic focus center on pushing the boundaries of maximal safe resection in complex tumors of the central nervous system, leveraging advanced microsurgical and endoscopic techniques, skull base approaches, awake and intraoperative functional mapping, and modern surgical technologies to optimize oncologic and functional outcomes.

Dr. Robert Chen is a Senior Scientist at Krembil Brain Institute. Dr. Chen’s lab is currently investigating the organization of cortical inhibitory and excitatory pathways in the human motor cortex, cortical plasticity, pathophysiology of movement disorders such as Parkinson disease and dystonia, the mechanisms of action of deep brain stimulation inhibitory functions of the basal ganglia and development of novel neuromodulation methods.

The techniques used include single pulse, paired pulse and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS), functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings of cortical rhythms and movement-related cortical potentials, magnetoencephalography (MEG) and recordings of local field potentials from deep brain stimulation electrodes in the basal ganglia.

Dr. Hans Katzberg is a Neuromuscular Neurologist at Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network. Dr. Katzberg received his training in biochemistry and medicine at the University of British Columbia, neurology at the University of Toronto, and fellowships in Electrodiagnostics (EMG) and Neuromuscular Medicine at Stanford University, where he also received a Master’s in Clinical Epidemiology.

Dr. Katzberg is currently a Professor of Medicine and Associate Member of the Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) and Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (T-CAIREM) at the University of Toronto. He is Division Head of Neurology at the University Health network and Sinai Health and Krembil Family Chair in Neurology and Clinical Investigator at the Krembil Brain Institute.

Dr. Golsa Shafa is a PGY-3 Neurology resident at the University of Toronto. She completed her undergraduate training in Neuroscience and her medical degree at the University of Toronto. Throughout her training, Dr. Shafa has been actively involved in research and holds a Graduate Diploma in Research from the University of Toronto, with a focus on pedagogical studies. She has a strong interest in stroke neurology and plans to pursue a fellowship following residency. Dr. Shafa is passionate about medical education and teaching.

Dr. Seika Taniguchi is a PGY-1 Neurosurgery resident at the University of Toronto, originally from the West Coast, Vancouver. Dr. Taniguchi has published research on evaluating patient quality of life following surgery in cranial tumors and scoliosis fusion, as well as understanding what “success” means in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis treatment. Outside of medicine, Dr. Taniguchi enjoys long distance road and trail running, and cafe hopping.

Dr. Katerina Jabbour is a PGY-5 neurology resident at the University of Toronto who graduated medical school from McMaster University, and also has a graduate diploma in clinical research from McGill University. Dr. Jabbour’s current interests are all things neuromuscular, and she will be doing a fellowship at Harvard University next year in Neuromuscular Medicine. 

Dr. Arshia Kazerouni is a PGY2 neurosurgery resident at the University of Toronto. He studied Life Sciences at McMaster University and Medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland. His academic and clinical interests lie in open and endoscopic skull base surgery. 

Speaker: Dr. Zahi Touma

Moderator: Dr. Alexandre Boutet

Dr. Zahi Touma is a Rheumatologist and Clinical Epidemiologist at Toronto Western Hospital, whose research is focused on patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and measurement science with a particular interest in the assessment of disease activity, patient reported outcomes, and cognitive function. Dr. Touma has developed SLE disease activity indices: the SLEDAI Responder Index-50 and the SLEDAI-2K Glucocorticoids Index.

Dr. Touma has established the NeuroLupus Program which is a team of experts in psychometrics, neuropsychology, neurology, psychiatry, measurement and bioinformatics, with the goal of developing improved methods of identifying cognitive impairments in SLE and understanding its course over time and impact on health-related quality of life and productivity. Dr. Touma leads the Outcome Measurements in Rheumatology (OMERACT) working group to update core set domains for SLE clinical trials. Dr. Touma is the recipient of an Early Researcher Award from the Government of Ontario.

Speaker: Dr. Olga Rojas

Moderator: Dr. Alexandre Boutet

Dr. Olga L. Rojas is a Scientist at the Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunology at the University of Toronto. Trained as a physician and immunologist in Colombia, she completed her PhD in immunology and later pursued postdoctoral research in neuroimmunology at the University of Toronto.

Her research focuses on the gut-brain axis, exploring how intestinal B cells and plasma cells influence neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. Dr. Rojas has published extensively and pioneered novel tools to track immune cell migration in the brain.

Speaker: Dr. Nader Ghasemlou

Moderator: Dr. Mojgan Hodaie

Dr. Nader Ghasemlou is currently an Associate Professor in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Biomedical & Molecular Sciences at Queen’s University, where he leads the Pain Chronobiology & Neuroimmunology Lab, and is director of the Tissue Inflammation and Regeneration Research Excellence Cluster and Interdisciplinary Pain Neuroimmunology group. His research team, which will be joining the Krembil Brain Institute and University of Toronto this Spring, uses a translational approach to study the intersection of neuroimmunology, pain physiology, and circadian biology.

Research in Dr. Ghasemlou's lab uses various animal models of injury and disease, including postoperative wounds, neuropathic nerve injury, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury to better understand the molecular, cellular, and behavioural responses underlying human disease. The group is particularly focused on dissecting the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the generation and maintenance of inflammation in the central and peripheral nervous system. All projects in the lab include bioinformatics to identify genes/pathways regulating cell function, and patient cohort studies via the CircaHealth Research Network (circahealth.ca) to provide a translational component to their work. 

Speaker: Dr. Liam Cooper-Brown

Moderator: Dr. Elizabeth Slow

Dr. Liam Cooper-Brown is a PGY3 Neurology resident at the University of Toronto. Prior to this, Dr. Cooper-Brown obtained his medical degree from McGill University, where he investigated the clinical and neuroanatomic features of epilepsy-associated neuropsychiatric disorders. Dr. Cooper-Brown has been a co-investigator across several initiatives in health science education scholarship and in scientific research into cognition, gait, and healthy aging.  He has been recognized as a leader in promoting engagement with neurosciences and scientific research among medical trainees. His clinical and research interests include neurophysiology, stroke, neurointensive care, behavioural neurology, and health equity. 

Speaker: Dr. Jason Yuen

Moderator: Dr. Elizabeth Slow

Dr. Jason Yuen is currently a Clinical Fellow in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery at Toronto Western Hospital. After medical school at the University of Oxford, Dr. Yuen completed his Neurosurgery residency in Bristol, United Kingdom, during which he spent two research years in Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA while completing his PhD in Neurosciences. Dr. Yuen has won several academic awards, including the AANS/CNS Philip Gildenberg Resident Award. He is particularly interested in neuromodulation of neuropsychiatric diseases and medical education. 

Speaker: Dr. Joanna Schaafsma

Moderator: Dr. Renato Munhoz

Dr. Joanna Schaafsma is a vascular neurologist and clinician-investigator at the University Health Network. After obtaining her medical degree in the Netherlands, Dr. Schaafsma pursued specialized training in vascular neurology in Paris and then subsequently returned to the Netherlands to complete a PhD program focusing on brain aneurysm imaging, and included health technology assessment. Dr. Schaafsma completed a stroke fellowship in Toronto and has actively contributed to the multidisciplinary team in both the neurovascular and revascularization clinics here, as well as leading and participating observational studies and key clinical trials. Dr. Schaafsma’s research primarily revolves around decision making and imaging in cerebrovascular diseases. 

Speaker: Dr. Hugo Andrade Barazarte

Moderator: Dr. Mojgan Hodaie

Dr. Hugo Andrade Barazarte completed his Neurosurgery training in Venezuela before obtaining his PhD and cerebrovascular/skull base fellowship at the University of Helsinki, Finland. As a cerebrovascular clinical fellow at Toronto Western Hospital, Dr. Andrade expanded his knowledge in vascular and skull base pathologies. Dr. Andrade then became a staff neurosurgeon at the Mannheim University Hospital in Germany, before assuming the role of co-director of the Moyamoya disease research and treatment center at the Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, China.  

Currently, Dr. Andrade is a staff neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital and Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on surgical management of ruptured and unruptured aneurysms, AVMs, Moyamoya disease and revascularization procedures, and arteriovenous fistulae. Dr. Andrade has conducted more than 2,800 surgical operations including > 350 cerebral bypasses, 200 of which were for the rare Moyamoya disease.

Speaker: Dr. Yosef Ellenbogen

Moderator: Dr. Elizabeth Slow

Dr. Yosef Ellenbogen is a PGY5 neurosurgery resident and PhD candidate at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Gelareh Zadeh. His research focuses on the molecular heterogeneity of glioma and its influence on tumor behavior and treatment response.

Speaker: Dr. Anne Keller

Moderator: Dr. Elizabeth Slow

Dr. Anne Keller is a PGY3 Neurology resident. Prior to completing her undergraduate medical degree at McMaster University, Dr. Keller obtained her Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Toronto.

Speaker: Dr. Alex Manta

Moderator: Dr. Elizabeth Slow

Dr. Alex Manta is a neurology resident at the University of Toronto. He completed his undergraduate medical degree at the University of Ottawa, as well as a MSc in the Integrative Neuromuscular Biology Laboratory at McMaster University.

Speaker: Dr. Oliver Bichsel

Moderator: Dr. Elizabeth Slow

Dr. Oliver Bichsel is a Swiss board-certified neurosurgeon and current Fellow in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery at Toronto Western Hospital. He earned both an MSc and a Doctor of Sciences degree from ETH Zurich and aims to blend his engineering skills with his medical expertise. His primary interests include brain-computer interfaces and advancing novel invasive and non-invasive treatments for neurological disorders.

Speaker: Dr. Mark Bayley

Moderator: Dr. Carmela Tartaglia

Dr. Mark Bayley is Program Medical Director & Physiatrist-in-Chief at UHN-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. He is a Professor at the University of Toronto in the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Bayley leads large-scale national and international research and health systems change projects aimed at improving outcomes of injury and illnesses of the brain. Mark’s research focuses on understanding how to speed brain recoveries through exercise, virtual reality, telerehabilitation, and functional electrical stimulation. Importantly, he has bridged the know-do gap by making the best evidence available to clinicians through smartphone apps and Best Practices guidelines in stroke, concussion, multiple sclerosis and brain injury. His work has redesigned the stroke and brain injury rehabilitation systems in Canada.

Speaker: Dr. Tamara Pringsheim

Moderator: Dr. Renato Munhoz

Objectives:

1. To review the creation and objectives of the Calgary Tic Disorders Registry

2. To highlight successes and failures along the way

3. To discuss strategies to obtain research funding for a long-term project

4. To (hopefully) provide helpful information to anyone who wants to start a clinical registry

Dr. Tamara Pringsheim is a neurologist and professor at the University of Calgary, and medical lead of the Tourette and Pediatric Movement Disorders Program.  She is an evidence-based medicine methodologist for the American Academy of Neurology and chair of the International Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Society Tic Disorders and Tourette Syndrome study group.  From 2022 to 2024, she has been named to the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers list, which recognizes researchers who have authored multiple Highly Cited Papers which rank in the top 1% by citations for their field and publication year in the Web of Science over the past decade.

Speaker: Dr. Carmela Tartaglia

Dr. Carmela Tartaglia, M.D., FRCPC, is a clinician-scientist at the University Health Network and University of Toronto. She maintains a cognitive/behavioral clinic within the UHN Memory Clinic where she sees patients with neurodegenerative diseases including those at risk of developing a chronic traumatic encephalopathy after repetitive head injury. She is a PI at the Canadian Concussion Centre and holds the Marion and Gerald Soloway Chair in Brain Injury and Concussion Research. She uses a multi-modal approach that combines imaging and biofluid biomarkers to better diagnose and understand the pathological substrates that cause cognitive, behavioral, and motoric dysfunction. The goal of her research program is to develop biomarkers for early detection of disease and bring precision medicine and targeted, early treatments to her patients.

Speaker: Dr. Michelle Gyenes

Moderator: Dr. Elizabeth Slow

Dr. Michelle Gyenes is a PGY-3 Adult Neurology resident at the University of Toronto. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia, an MSc in Public Health from Columbia University, and her medical training at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

Speaker: Dr. Mary Zhu

Moderator: Dr. Elizabeth Slow

Dr. Mary Zhu is a neurosurgery resident at the University of Toronto. Prior to residency, she completed medical school at Queen's University.

Speaker: Dr. Michel Sourour

Dr. Michel Sourour obtained his medical degree from the University of Toronto, where he laid the foundation for his career. Following medical school, Dr. Sourour completed his residency in neurosurgery at McMaster University, where he also pursued a Master's degree in Clinical Epidemiology, further honing his research skills and expertise in evidence-based medicine.

Dr. Sourour then pursued specialized training through a fellowship at Toronto Western Hospital, focusing on skull base and neuro-oncology. During this time, he focused on complex surgical techniques and endoscopic surgical techniques as well as advances in neuromonitoring. In addition, he developed expertise in Gamma knife radiosurgery to allow a multifaceted approach for treatment of cranial malignancies. In addition, he was involved in the development and establishment of the Rapid Access In Neurosurgery (RAIN) clinic that focuses on providing rapid neurosurgical care and assessments for neurosurgical patients.

Outside of medicine, Dr. Sourour enjoys spending time with his wife Mary, daughter Amelia, and their beloved dog Toby. He finds relaxation and inspiration through traveling to new destinations and exploring the wonders of the underwater world through scuba diving.

Speaker: Dr. Shivaprakash Hiremath

Dr. Shivaprakash Hiremath holds the position of Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and is a staff Neuroradiologist at Toronto Western Hospital. He completed his radiology residency in India at the Madras Medical College and Pushpagiri Institute of Medical Sciences, followed by a clinical fellowship in neuroradiology at the University of Ottawa and a fellowship in pediatric neuroradiology at SickKids, University of Toronto. Dr. Hiremath is actively involved in medical education and research with a keen interest in Neuroinflammatory disorders, Epilepsy and Temporal bone Imaging.

Speaker: Dr. Farshad Nassiri

Dr. Farshad Nassiri received his medical degree and completed his residency in neurosurgery at the UofT. He completed the Surgeon-Scientist Training Program at the UofT, where he obtained his PhD in brain tumour biology, under the mentorship of Dr. Gelareh Zadeh. Additionally, Dr. Nassiri was a Visiting Instructor at the University of Utah, where he completed a CAST-certified fellowship in complex endoscopic and open skull base and cerebrovascular surgery with Dr. William Couldwell. Dr. Nassiri was recently appointed as Staff Neurosurgeon within the Division of Neurosurgery, Sprott Department of Surgery, at University Health Network and the Krembil Brain Institute. He was also appointed as a Scientist with the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, as well as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. 

Dr. Nassiri specializes in caring for patients with benign and malignant skull base tumours, such as meningiomas, pituitary tumours, acoustic neuromas, in addition to treating brain tumours such as gliomas and metastases. Building on the foundation established by his mentors, Drs. Fred Gentili and Gelareh Zadeh, Dr. Nassiri’s vision is to expand the repertoire of effective treatment options for patients with brain and skull base tumours, providing personalized treatment strategies.

Dr. Nassiri has authored over 110 peer-reviewed publications in prestigious journals such as Nature, Nature Medicine, JAMA and The Lancet. His contributions have been recognized with several notable awards, including the Vanier Award (2017-2019) and the Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (2023-2024) from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), as well as the Research Rising Star Award (2022) and the Research Impact Award (2020), from The Brain Tumour Charity UK.

In addition to his clinical and research roles, Dr. Nassiri currently serves as the Communications Editor for the Neuro-Oncology Advances journal and as the Neurosurgical Board Representative for the Society for Neuro-Oncology. His notable past leadership positions include Scientific Chair and Track Lead for the Society for Neuro-Oncology.

Speaker: Dr. Christos Ganos

Dr. Christos Ganos is an active Staff Neurologist within the Krembil Brain Institute at Toronto Western Hospital, UHN, and an Associate Professor in the Division of Neurology at UofT. Recently appointed in March 2024, he is the Wolf Family Chair in Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry at UHN and UofT. Born in Thessaloniki, Greece, he completed his medical training at the University Medical Center in Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany, undertook a three-year fellowship at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, and from 2017 to 2023 was a consultant at the Movement Disorder Unit of the Charité Hospital, Berlin.

Dr. Ganos has expertise in hyperkinetic, neuropsychiatric and unusual or rare movement disorders, including tic disorders, Huntington’s disease and the Ataxia programs. His research has focused on the characterization of clinical phenomena and the elucidation of their pathophysiological origin. Within the field of tic disorders, Dr. Ganos is a world leader in the pathophysiology of tics and premonitory urges with the particular scope of developing novel treatment methods. He served as the founding chair of the International Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Society’s Tic Disorders and Tourette Syndrome study group. He is also the chair of the Movement Disorder Society’s Tic Disorders and Tourette Syndrome task force and a past secretary of the European Society for the Study of Tourette Syndrome.