Hotchkiss Brain Institute - HBI

09/02/2026

Spotted in the wild!

When he’s not studying the gut-brain connection, Dr. Keith Sharkey, PhD, a University of Calgary's Cu***ng School of Medicine and Hotchkiss Brain Institute researcher, can be found in the early mornings at Confederation Park tracking one of fall migration’s most elusive avian visitors: the warbler.

They’re small, fast and rarely where you expect them to be, making them difficult to photograph. Yet Dr. Sharkey's patience and keen eye has paid off. Several of his photos were recently featured in a CBC Calgary story about the warblers passing through the city.

Check out the story here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/warbler-songbird-calgary-alberta-migration-9.7311796

08/28/2026

Big turnout, a summer of hard work, and a whole lot of neuroscience! The 2026 HBI Summer Student Symposium brought together undergraduate students from across the Hotchkiss Brain Institute community to showcase their summer research.

Between the presentations, research discussions, and keynote talks from Dr. Aravind Ganesh and Dr. Jiami Guo, it was fantastic to see the next generation of researchers share their work. Congrats to all of this year's presenters!

A big thank you to HBITO, and especially Nidhi and Baillie, for organizing this event, and to everyone who supported our students throughout the summer ⭐

08/25/2026

Meet the ideas behind this year’s Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize 🧠

Alzheimer's disease begins changing the brain years, often decades, before memory problems become noticeable. Detecting these early changes typically requires expensive brain scans or invasive tests, making it difficult to monitor the disease regularly or on a large scale.

What if Alzheimer's disease could be detected and monitored earlier using simple, everyday technologies?

Drs. Chatterjee and Bayat's Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize proposal aims to combine virtual reality, wearable technology, and blood-based biomarkers to create a more accessible way to track Alzheimer's disease over time.

While each of these approaches has shown promise individually, bringing them together could provide a more complete picture of how the disease progresses.

If selected for the Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize, the team will study how these measures work together to develop practical digital tools that complement clinical care, support earlier detection, improve treatment decisions, and ultimately enhance care for people living with Alzheimer's disease.

Stay tuned for the next project in the running for the Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize.
Check out the full project summary here: https://bit.ly/4y0GHKj

08/13/2026

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Brandy Callahan as the Hotchkiss Brain Institute's Director of Transdisciplinary Partnerships! 🧠

A CIHR Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Adult Clinical Neuropsychology and associate professor in the Department of Psychology, Dr. Callahan's research focuses on healthy brain aging, dementia and cognitive health. Her work is helping improve how we understand, detect and support cognitive health across the lifespan.

In her role, she'll help strengthen collaborations across the University of Calgary, foster partnerships that advance brain and mental health research, and connect researchers and trainees across disciplines to spark new ideas, accelerate discovery and create lasting impact.

Welcome to the team, Dr. Callahan! We're excited to see the collaborations and innovations this new role will help inspire.

08/06/2026

Meet the president and vice-president of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute Trainee Organization (HBITO) 📢

Pictured left to right: Katelyn Shewchuk, Laura Au, and Julia Gonzales.

⭐ Laura Au is a third-year PhD candidate in Neuroscience in Dr. Roger Thompson's lab and has served as HBITO President since May 2026. Originally from Newfoundland, Laura's research focuses on mechanisms of cognitive impairment following ischemic stroke. As President, she's committed to supporting the executive team and advocating for a positive trainee experience across the HBI.

⭐ Joining her for a second term as Vice-President is Julia Gonzales, a third-year PhD candidate in Dr. Sarah McFarlane's lab whose research focuses on retinal regeneration in zebrafish. As VP, Julia is dedicated to amplifying the voices of HBI trainees and driving initiatives that support graduate student wellness and professional development.

A heartfelt thank you to outgoing HBITO President Katelyn Shewchuk for her outstanding leadership as HBITO President. We wish her all the best as she begins the next chapter of her career and look forward to seeing what Laura, Julia and the HBITO executive team accomplish in the year ahead.

07/31/2026

Not a galaxy. Not an abstract painting. This is the incredible complexity of the brain 🧠

More specifically, it's a fluorescence microscopy image of a cerebellum: the region in the brain responsible for movement, balance and coordination. Although the cerebellum makes up only about 10% of the brain's volume, it contains more than half of all its neurons. This image captures just one tiny corner of that extraordinary network.

Using fluorescent markers and specialized microscopy, researchers can visualize the brain's intricate cellular architecture, helping uncover how it functions in health and disease.

Image courtesy of Dr. Atefeh Rayatpour, PhD, a Multiple Sclerosis researcher at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. Learn more about her work on MS and oxidative stress by watching our researcher spotlight here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLABABtsTww

Healthy brains for better lives

07/22/2026

Neurological conditions are the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting more than 1 in 3 people.

Yet access to care remains uneven: shaped by where someone lives, whether a specialist is available, how long they have to wait, and whether treatment is affordable.

This , the global theme is Access for All 🌍 It's a reminder that improving brain health takes more than a single discovery or solution. It takes collaboration across research, health care, education, advocacy and communities, all working toward a future where everyone has the opportunity to live with better brain health.

Progress is made one step at a time. It's driven by researchers and trainees asking difficult questions, clinicians improving care, partners creating new opportunities, and donors and supporters who help make long-term innovation possible.

Today, we're reflecting on the collective impact our community has made, and the people behind that progress. This video celebrates the shared purpose that continues to advance brain and mental health where every contribution moves us closer to healthier brains for better lives.

Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHWs6pHgxZI
A special thank you to Trevor Alberts at Arcade Video Inc. for helping us capture the people and passion behind our community.

07/07/2026

We are excited to announce the 2026 finalists for the Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize (Maximizing Innovation in Neuroscience Discovery)

The M.I.N.D Prize was created by a generous gift from Calgarian Mr. Sanders Lee, with $1-million per year for ten years donated to supporting bold, high-impact research in brain and mental health.

This year’s finalists are:

⭐ Drs. Aravind Ganesh and Jianhai Zhang with their project titled: PENTOS-AI: Personalized neuroimaging-guided treatment and outcome prediction for ischemic stroke using novel markers and artificial intelligence

⭐ Drs. Kaue Duarte and Bijoy Menon with their project titled: Zero-Footprint Trials in Brain Health: An AI-Enabled Discovery Stack, Demonstrated in Stroke and Vascular Cognition

⭐ Drs. Rashmita Chatterjee and and Sayeh Bayat with their project titled: Multimodal Digital Phenotyping for Alzheimer's Detection and Progression Monitoring: Integrating VR Spatial Navigation, Wearable Functional Metrics, and Plasma Biomarkers

Stay tuned as we share details in the coming weeks on each finalist project and the innovative ideas that could transform care and change lives.

06/19/2026

Hotchkiss Brain Institute and McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health member Dr. Ranita Manocha, MD, is a clinician, researcher, professor, and founder of the Better Mobility Lab at the University of Calgary’s Cu***ng School of Medicine.

Her work focuses on improving mobility and independence for people who use mobility aids. As an athlete, Dr. Manocha experienced firsthand the challenges of relying on mobility aids after injuries, inspiring her to help others navigate their use with confidence.

Through the IcanWALK app, Dr. Manocha and her team have developed evidence-based resources, educational videos and interactive tools to help patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals learn how to safely use mobility aids.

Discover how research is translating into practical solutions that support everyday mobility and improve quality of life 👇

👋 Check out the Better Mobility Lab: https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/labs/better-mobility
🔗 Learn more about the app at: https://icanwalk.info/

06/12/2026

What a day! 🧠✨

HBI Research Day 2026 brought together researchers, clinicians, trainees, and industry partners to share discoveries, spark new ideas, and celebrate brain and mental health research.

Some highlights from the day included:

🔹 An inspiring keynote presentation from Dr. Louise McCullough, who was honoured with a traditional white hat ceremony courtesy of Fraser Abbott and Tourism Calgary

🔹 Engaging fireside chats and discussions on s*x differences in brain and mental health research

🔹 Trainee Lightning Pitches and awards showcasing the next generation of neuroscience researchers

🔹 Insights into cutting-edge research technologies from Thermo Fisher Scientific and the HBI NeuroTechnology Core Platforms

🔹 Interactive activities sponsored by TELUS Spark Science Centre, including an appearance from Flint the Robo-Dog

🔹 Great conversations and great coffee from Devil’s Head Coffee Bar, sponsored by Charles Real Estate

A sincere thank you to our keynote speaker, Dr. Louise McCullough, as well as our session moderators, judges, presenters, and attendees. Your expertise, curiosity, and engagement are what make Research Day such a meaningful opportunity to connect, learn, and collaborate.

We are also deeply grateful to our sponsors and partners: Alberta Neuroscience, BioAlberta, Cortical Consulting, Leica Microsystems, RetinaLogik Inc., Charles Real Estate, TELUS Spark Science Centre, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Tourism Calgary. Your support helps create opportunities for knowledge sharing, trainee development, and scientific collaboration that extend far beyond a single day.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, we look forward to seeing you next year!