Year In Review 2024 - 2025

Who we are

The Ontario Brain Institute (OBI) is a provincially funded, not-for-profit organization that accelerates discovery and innovation, benefiting both patients and the economy.

The difference 15 years makes: From local action to global leadership

Since 2010, we’ve formed powerful partnerships, harnessed the potential of interconnectivity, and created a better for future for the 1 in 3 people in the province living with a brain disorder.

Here’s what some of our research partners had to say about their time with us – and what makes them hopeful about the future of brain health.

Stories

OBI works to brain health while driving innovation and economic growth in Ontario. We support research, fund startups, and empower communities, so discoveries become solutions. Read on to see examples of our ‘team science’ approach in action.

Feature Story: Team Approach

How OBI’s team science approach has positioned the province as a neuroscience leader

Investing in Brain Health

Supporting Community Care

Advancing Knowledge

OBI’s neuroanalytics leadership culminates with launch of Centre for Analytics

Impact

OBI strives to have a positive impact on the abilities and performance of its partners and stakeholders to make Ontario a world leader in brain research, commercialization, and care.

†2024-2025

*Cumulative

LEGEND:

OBI-WIDE

RESEARCH SYSTEM

DATA

COMMERCIALIZATION

CARE

1/3

Who we are

Partners

613

Highly Qualified Personnel

167

Researchers †

1,100

Brain-CODE users *

Entrepreneaurs *

185

Interns *

100

Portfolio Companies *

Community Partners †

What we do

167

Researchers

1,100

Brain-CODE users

Our Impact

2,800

Brain-CODE users

6700

Researchers

Download Infographic

Culture at OBI

In her remarks at the 'Eat and Play for Brain Health' talk in March, Dr. Susan Fitzpatrick – a long-serving member of the Ontario Brain Institute’s Board of Directors – reminded attendees that nourishment for the brain extends beyond mere sustenance; it encompasses a holistic approach that includes emotional and social elements. As she put it, “Feeding our bodies and feeding our psyches is not a luxury, it is a basic and essential need.” 

With these words of wisdom in mind, the OBI team built and strengthened connections through food and fun on several occasions.

Cardiac Smash Event

At Cardiac Smash in October, several staff members – Yasmeen Shah, Jordan Antflick, Christa Studzinski and Garth Smith - played in Canada’s largest corporate charity ping pong tournament in support of the Ontario Brain Institute Foundation as well as the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Step Competition

Also in October, we held a friendly step competition and, collectively, OBI staff walked 1,813,618 steps. That is nearly 1,300 kilometres and approximately the same as walking from the old downtown Toronto office to Moncton, New Brunswick!

OBI Holiday Party

At our annual Holiday Party, hosted at the picturesque Telus Harbour Hosting Centre, our team enjoyed a delicious buffet and, in our inimitable OBI way, celebrated the holidays with several rousing rounds of trivia as well as a spirited blind gift swap.

Bike for Brain Health

At the Bike for Brain Health in June, with our partners at Baycrest, OBI put forward a team of weekend warriors – Tom Mikkelson, Lucas Ng, Garth Smith, Jordan Antflick and Francis Jeanson - in support of research, innovation, care and education for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Minutes of Meditation

Persian poet Rumi once wrote “the quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.” For the second year in a row, OBI staff came together twice a week to participate in the Minutes of Meditation sessions, graciously led by Rasha Abdo, OBI’s Events Lead.

Social Committee

OBI’s social committee organized monthly get-togethers, including the annual potluck, Speak & Learn Socials (where certain staff taught colleagues the basics of the languages they spoke), board game and trivia tournaments, Guess the Lyrics games, and a small-but-mighty winter skating party at Nathan Phillips Square.

While tasty food and fun times can happen organically, expert social convening always takes gathering the extra mile. Thank you to the 2023-24 members of the OBI Social Committee - Yasmeen Shah (chair), Rasha Abdo, Lucas Ng, Keith Misquitta, Jared Den Otter, Farah Memarpour, Caroline Bennett-AbuAyyash, Stephanie Holbik, Naomi Opia-Evans, Isdora Msigwa, Fawziyah Ibrahim and Michelle Zheng - for their dedicated work.

Reflections on the past year

Message from the Board of Directors Chair

Message from the President and Scientific Director

Board of Directors

Motivated by a goal of improving the lives of the one in three Canadians living with a brain disorder, OBI’s Board of Directors and advisory committees supported an integrated and collaborative approach to scientific discovery that harnesses Ontario’s expertise in neuroscience research. We are grateful for their leadership.