Brain injury is a disruption in the normal function of the brain and encompasses many conditions including stroke, concussion and traumatic brain injury. Our researchers have made great strides in understanding the fundamental science underlying these conditions with respect to how certain events lead to brain injury and the ways in which neurons are impaired after the brain is injured. Another important avenue of research is exploring treatments and therapies that could improve rewiring of the brain in order to facilitate recovery from these injuries.

Film MRI ( Magnetic resonance imaging ) of brain ( stroke , brain tumor , cerebral infarction , intracerebral hemorrhage ) ( Medical , Health care , Science Background ) ( Cross section of brain )

Together, we are working to improve the lives of all Canadians by developing innovative strategies to treat and manage brain injuries, and to advance brain health across the lifespan.

Related Researchers

Learn more about the clinical and foundational scientists who are studying brain injury and repair.

Name and Contact Info Title Research Interests
Khaled Abdelrahman
Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
Alzheimer’s disease, GPCRs, Glutamate, neurovascular coupling, cerebral blood flow, neuropharmacology, neuroglia
Mohsen Akbari
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Victoria
Shelina Babul
Clinical Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
concussion , mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Phil Barker
Professor, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, UBCO
neurodegenerative disease, cancer, neurotrophin, cytokine signalling, cell death
Craig Brown
Professor, Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria
Brian Christie
Professor, Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria
hippocampus, synaptic plasticity, neurogenesis, exercise, mild traumatic brain injury, concussion, fragile-x syndrome, prenatal ethanol exposure, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, depression
Maggie Clarke
Adjunct Professor, Department of Mechatronics Systems Engineering, Simon Fraser University
Magnetoencephalography (MEG), development, epilepsy
Peter Cripton
Professor and Undergraduate Program Director, School of Biomedical Engineering, UBC
Max Cynader
Professor, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
ophthalmology, neuroplasticity, neurodegeneration, Huntington disease, stroke, glaucoma, nervous system
Ryan D’Arcy
Affiliate Professor, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
systems neuroscience, clinical neuroscience, functional neuroimaging, neurotechnology, neuroplasticity
Janice Eng
Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
stroke, neuroplasticity, spinal cord injury, rehabilitation, physical therapy
Thalia Field
Professor, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
stroke, clinical trials, cerebral venous thrombosis, cerebral small vessel disease, cognition, risk stratification, patient-centred outcomes
Dean Foti
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
Kendra Furber
Assistant Professor, Division of Medical Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia
neurodevelopment, aging, myelination, oligodendrocyte, multiple sclerosis
Deanna L. Gibson
Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, UBCO
Ilker Hacihaliloglu
Associate Professor, Department of Radiology and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
Artificial intelligence, machine learning, ultrasound imaging, image-guided surgery, computer-aided diagnostics, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, traumatic brain injury, brain health, liver and lung disease, endometriosis
Ghassan Hamarneh
Professor, School of Computing Science, Simon Fraser University
medical image analysis, artificial intelligence, neuroimaging, medical computer vision
Brett Hilton
Assistant Professor, Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
axon regeneration, central nervous system, circuit, plasticity, spinal cord, spinal cord injury
Ryan Hoiland
Assistant Professor, Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
acute brain injury, cerebrovascular, neuromonitoring, neuroinflammation
Tao Huan
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, UBC
bioinformatics, systems biology, Alzheimer disease, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolomics
Judy Illes
Professor, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
neuroethics, neurotechnology, neuroimaging, neurodegeneration, dementia, regenerative medicine
Wilfred Jefferies
Professor, Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
David Kaplan
Adjunct Professor, Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
Shannon Kolind
Associate Professor, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
MRI, multiple sclerosis
Sarah Kraeutner
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, UBCO
Brian Kwon
Professor, Department of Orthopaedics, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
spinal cord injury
Cornelia Laule
Associate Professor, Department of Radiology and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
MRI, multiple sclerosis, neurodegeneration, neuropathology, spinal cord injury
David Li
Professor Emeritus of Radiology and Associate Member Medicine (Neurology), Faculty of Medicine, UBC
multiple sclerosis, MRI, clinical trials
Teresa Liu-Ambrose
Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
aging, cognition, clinical trial, spinal cord injury, hip health, falls prevention
Erin MacMillan
Philips MR Clinical Scientist, UBC MRI Research Centre
magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Joanne Matsubara
Professor, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
neurodegeneration, Retina, Eye, Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease, Neuroinflammation, Glia Activation, Drug Discovery, Gene Treatment
Freda Miller
Professor, Michael Smith Laboratories and Department of Medical Genetics, UBC
Steven Miller
Professor and Head, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
Neonatal Neurology, White Matter Injury, Stroke, Preterm Birth, Congenital Heart Disease, Hypoxia-Ischemia, MRI, DTI
Majid Mohajerani
Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge
Hakima Moukhles
Associate Professor, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
Cellular and molecular neuroscience
Tim Murphy
Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
stroke, depression, neuroplasticity, imaging, foundational science
Tim O’Connor
Professor, Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
developmental neuroscience, basic science
William Panenka
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
concussion, traumatic brain injury, addiction and mental health
Jacqueline Quandt
Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
Scott Ramsay
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC
acquired brain injury, traumatic brain injury, concussion
Alexander Rauscher
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
fMRI, MRI, developmental neuroscience, imaging, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease, concussion, traumatic brain injury
Mypinder Sekhon
Clinical Assistant Professor
Hypoxic ischemic brain injury, cerebral blood flow, brain oxygenation, traumatic brain injury, multimodal neuromonitoring
Thiviya Selvanathan
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
neonatal neurology, newborn, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, hypoxic ischemic brain injury, prematurity, white matter injury, neurodevelopment, child development, neuroimaging, MRI, connectome
Noah Silverberg
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, UBC
Terrance Snutch
Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
epilepsy, autism, schizophrenia, neurodegeneration, developmental neuroscience, basic science
Paul Summers
Adjunct Professor, Department of Mechatronics, Simon Fraser University
MRI flow quantification, angiography, spine imaging, fMRI
Leigh Anne Swayne
Professor, Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria
neuroplasticity, neurite growth, neurodevelopment, ion channels, receptor trafficking
Jack Taunton
Professor Emeritus, Division of Sports Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
Wolfram Tetzlaff
Professor, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, UBC
Anthony Traboulsee
Professor, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
neuromyelitis optica (NMO), MRI, MS-CCSVI, clinical trials, multiple sclerosis
Paul van Donkelaar
Professor, School of Health and Exercise Sciences, UBCO
concussion, intimate partner violence, sensorimotor control, cerebrovascular physiology
Naznin Virji-Babul
Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
traumatic brain injury, mTBI, mild traumatic brain injury, concussion, imaging , developmental neuroscience, cognition
Yu Tian Wang
Professor, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
neuroplasticity, stroke, epilepsy, foundational science
Alexander Weber
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
Cheryl Wellington
Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
Alzheimer disease, dementia, metabolism, cardiovascular system, neurodegeneration, concussion, traumatic brain injury
Christopher West
Associate Professor, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Okanagan
spinal cord injury, autonomic nervous system
Stephanie Willerth
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria

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