OBI Public Talk: Innovative Treatments for Brain Health
Mark your calendars for our next OBI Public Talk: Innovative Treatments for Brain Health on March 31, 2026, in downtown Toronto and via livestream. This event marks a milestone: our 40th public talk and the finale of our 2025-26 Breakthroughs in Brain Science series.
Join us to hear from diverse perspectives from researchers, innovators, and community service providers about emerging treatments improving the care for mental health conditions. From breakthrough therapies to novel approaches in community care, discover how innovation is transforming outcomes for brain health.
The event will be held in person and online.
REGISTER FOR IN-PERSON | SIGN UP FOR THE LIVESTREAM
PANELISTS
- Dr. Rudolf Uher is a psychiatrist and Canada Research Chair in Early Intervention in Psychiatry at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada. He completed PhD in Neuroscience at Charles University, Psychiatry residency at the Maudsley Hospital, and a fellowship Affective Disorders at the Institute of Psychiatry, UK. Dr Uher investigates early markers of risk for mental illness and personalized treatments for depression. He leads the OPTIMUM-D trial which is testing biomarker-based treatment selection for major depressive disorder, and the Data Science platform of the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND).
- Dr. Jonathan Downar is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto. He holds a clinical appointment at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. He holds a PhD in functional neuroimaging from the University of Toronto, trained in medicine at the University of Calgary, and completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Toronto. Dr. Downar has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on TMS and brain imaging, including Lancet, JAMA Psychiatry, Nature Medicine, Nature Neuroscience, and Brain Stimulation. He is the senior author of the THREE-D study, a major Canadian TMS study published in Lancet in 2018 that demonstrated that TMS treatments could be reduced from 38 min sessions to 3-minute sessions with no loss of efficacy.
- Anne Wilson is a registered social worker and program manager of the Toronto Transitional Age Youth (TAY) Program at LOFT Community Services. She currently leads the Transitional Age Youth (TAY) Team at LOFT, where she oversees program strategy, policy-to-practice alignment, and partnerships with hospitals, universities, Youth Wellness Hubs and community agencies. Her work centers on building responsive, evidence‑informed services that strengthen mental health and wellbeing for youth transitioning into adulthood and are navigating complex mental health, substance use, and housing challenges.
Moderator: Dr. Krishana Sankar, a trained scientist and science communicator, currently working as a science advisor for a globally recognized anti-misinformation initiative.
Launching the second edition of The CHOICE-D Patient and Family Guide to Depression Treatment
Have you or a loved one experienced clinical depression? Managing it is tough and confusing, but this award-winning guide identifies all kinds of ways to successful treatment. It includes self-help tips, explains the different types of psychotherapy, clarifies medication choices, and provides information on exercise, nutrition, herbal remedies, and more! It was designed by people with lived experience of depression and aligns with the latest treatment guidelines for clinicians. Don't miss your chance to pick up a free copy. Join us at the post-event reception for a special announcement launching the new guide and start exploring your treatment options today!
The CHOICE-D Guide was created through a joint venture of the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND), Hope+Me (formerly known as the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario), the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT), and the Ontario Brain Institute (OBI).