The Djavad Mowafaghian
Centre for Brain Health
The University of British Columbia today announced a $15 million gift from the Djavad Mowafaghian Foundation for a new facility that integrates brain research and patient care. In honour of his generosity the facility will be named The Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health.
Dr. Lara Boyd, Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and a neuroscientist with an expertise in stroke rehabilitation, spoke on the significance and impact of the gift. This line of research has special significance to Mowafaghian, who suffered a stroke last April, which left him hospitalized for eight weeks.
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 14,000 Canadians die from stroke every year. Neuroscience Canada estimates that one in three Canadians of all ages will be affected by a disease, disorder or injury of the brain or nervous system at some point in their life, and as many as half of all Canadians have had a brain disorder impact their family.
A partnership between UBC and Vancouver Coastal Health, the 12,500-square-metre Centre is scheduled to open in 2013 and will bring together researchers and clinicians from a range of disciplines related to brain health. The new Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health will also accelerate bench side to bedside knowledge translation.
Dr. Boyd, who is integrating physical therapy with the latest developments in brain imaging to identify treatments which will promote recovery, said the multi-disciplinary approach enabled by the new Centre will result in new knowledge and treatment options.
“By understanding why certain rehabilitation strategies work – and some don’t – for individuals suffering different types of brain injuries, we can move towards a therapy regimen that is truly tailored to each patient and their needs,” said Boyd, Canada Research Chair for Neurobiology of Motor Learning. Read more…