Symposium Jan. 29 marks 10 years of the Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research

A virtual symposium highlighting the latest research from the 10 winners of the Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize will be held Jan. 29, 2025, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Each winner will make a brief presentation about their current research. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about research trends as well as the latest research in specific areas of mental health such as depression, bipolar disorder, child abuse, addiction, perinatal and youth mental health, mental health in public safety personnel, neuromodulation, and more.

When: Wednesday, Jan. 29, 1 to 5 p.m. Eastern time

Where: Online on Zoom REGISTER TO ATTEND FREE OF CHARGE

Program:

Dr. Jean Martin Beaulieu (2015 recipient), University of Toronto
Topic: Following Intersections Between Drugs and Genetic Risk

Dr. Rudolf Uher (2016 recipient), Dalhousie University
Topic: Depression Prevention and Personalized Treatment

Dr. Benjamin Goldstein (2017 recipient), University of Toronto
Topic: Heart-Brain Connections in Bipolar Disorder: Time for Clinical Action?

Dr. Tracie Afifi (2018 recipient), University of Manitoba
Topic: Child Abuse, Mental Health, and Substance Use in Canada with a Focus on Sexual Identity

Dr. James MacKillop (2019 recipient), McMaster University
Topic: The Behavioural Economics and Neuroeconomics of Addiction: A Translational Approach

Dr. Nicholas Carleton (2020 recipient), University of Regina
Topic: Evidence-Based Innovations for Supporting Public Safety Personnel Mental Health

Dr. Simone Vigod (2021 recipient), University of Toronto
Topic: Tackling Gaps in Perinatal Mental Health Care with the MOVIN Program

Dr. Sheri Madigan (2022 recipient), University of Calgary
Topic: Transforming Research into Action: Collaborative and Socially Innovative Solutions for Child Maltreatment and Mental Health

Dr. Srividya Iyer (2023 recipient), McGill University
Topic: The Global Youth Mental Health “Crisis”: Origins and Ways Forward

Dr. Nir Lipsman (2024 recipient), University of Toronto
Topic: Brain Circuits and Human Behaviour: What Can Go Wrong and What Can We Do About It?

Non-invasive brain surgery helps heal mental illness

As an aspiring young psychiatrist, Nir Lipsman learned about the possibilities of new treatments called “neuromodulation” for mental illnesses. He switched to neurosurgery and has never looked back.

Today, Dr. Lipsman is director of the Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. Neuromodulation involves stimulating nerves using drugs, electrical signals or other forms of energy. For example, Lipsman has used deep brain stimulation to treat alcohol use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. MRI-guided focused ultrasound is being used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression. Lipsman’s centre is also a leader in repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.

This work has garnered Dr. Lipsman the 10th annual Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize, jointly sponsored by the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at The Royal and the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada.

“Dr. Lipsman, a clinician-scientist, is the first winner in the 10 years of the Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize who is a neurosurgeon,” says Dr. Chris Carruthers, chair of the board of the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada. “His area of research is novel and represents the value that the prize can bring to new approaches to mental health and illness.”

Neuromodulation approaches are less invasive or entirely non-invasive, avoiding traditional surgery. Lipsman and his team are trying them in patients who still have significant mental illness despite previous treatments with other, more conventional therapies, such as drugs and psychotherapy.

At the prize ceremony December 2 in Ottawa, Dr. Lipsman told the story of a young adult patient with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder that had a devastating effect on her life. Non-invasive neurosurgery resulted in a dramatic improvement that has allowed her to reach some of her life goals. The patient is now part of a patient team helping the hospital design new research studies.

Lipsman says many serious mental illnesses have their origin in brain circuits that don’t function as they should. In a video about his work, Lipsman says, “To me, it’s a reflection of where we are as a field, of recognizing that these are hard-and-fast organic conditions that require surgical intervention, whether non-invasive or invasive or across that spectrum.”

Media host and fundraiser Sam Laprade, who served as emcee of the ceremony, asked Lipsman about making sure that all members of society have access to such cutting-edge treatments.

“These are conditions that touch people from all socio-economic backgrounds,” said Lipsman. Reaching people who could benefit from neuromodulation is one of Sunnybrook’s aims. “It’s not enough to just have the fancy tools.” He described Sunnybrook’s outreach program to clinicians, especially throughout Ontario, to let them know that treatments are available. He says the hospital also receives referrals from across the country.

But there can be long waitlists for neurosurgery. He says the wait for neurosurgery for epilepsy — an effective and well-known treatment — is currently 18 years. “There is an access problem, and we need to address that.”

He would like to see neuromodulation for mental illness move from research studies to first-line treatment. Currently, he says the risks associated with neuromodulation are low and approaching zero. And treatment times are shrinking from weeks to minutes. These developments would make neuromodulation safer and more accessible.

Learn about Dr. Nir Lipsman’s research in this short video. Video production: SandBay Entertainment.

If you missed the prize ceremony, you can view it here.