BRaIN  |  Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program

The Management Committee of the Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program (BRaIN) is comprised of the program leadership and representatives from the Centre for Translational Biology (CTB), the Centre for Innovative Medicine (CIM), the Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE), and the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), as well as representatives for trainees and an external member. The committee helps shape the Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience (BRaIN) Program's overall structure, research priorities and vision.

The Program Management Committee includes:

Keith Murai, PhD, Program Leader

Kathy Mullen, PhD, Associate Program Leader

Alexandra Kindrat, PhD, Program Manager

Yvonne Gardner, Program Assistant

Claire Gizowski, PhD/M.Sc. Representative

Alex Baldwin, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow Representative

Derek Bowie, PhD, External Member, McGill Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Dr. Guy Rouleau, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI)

Dr. Edward A. Fon, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI)

Reza Farivar-Mohseni, M.Sc., PhD, McGill Vision Research (MVR) and CTB

Lisa Koski, PhD, CIM

Christina Wolfson, M.Sc., PhD, CORE

Charles Bourque, PhD, FCAHS, FRSC, Centre for Research in Neuroscience (CRN) and CTB

Marco Leyton, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and CTB

Program leaders and manager

Keith Murai, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University and is a recipient of Canada Research Chair and EJLB Scholarships. His research is focused on understanding how the brain encodes information at synapses, the intimate contact points between cells within neural circuits. Work from his research team has provided insight into cellular and molecular pathways that regulate synapses and the contribution of glial cells to brain development and function. An important goal of the research is to discover novel strategies for treating conditions where dysfunction of neural circuits occurs. Current and past leadership roles include Chair of the Montreal General Hospital Facility Animal Care Committee and Treasurer of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience. Dr. Murai's research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Neuroscience, PNAS, Journal of Cell Biology, Nature Neuroscience, Current Biology, Neuron, Cell Reports, and Cell. His work is currently supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Pfizer-FRQS and Brain Canada. Kathy Mullen, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University and a founding member of the McGill Vision Research unit. Her areas of research and expertise are in human vision, specializing in colour vision and disease processes, such as multiple sclerosis, that may affect the neural aspects of vision. Her research uses functional brain imaging, brain stimulation, behavioural measurement, and computational modeling to identify the different stages along the visual pathway, from thalamus to cortex, involved in colour vision. She is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America in recognition of her contributions to vision sciences. She has taken an active role in leadership within the McGill community as a program committee member of the Integrated Program in Neuroscience (IPN). Dr. Mullen's research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Neurophysiology, Brain Stimulation, European Journal of Neuroscience, Scientific Reports, and Journal of the Optical Society of America. Her work is currently supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Alexandra Kindrat, PhD, holds a doctorate in Education from Concordia University with research focusing on metacognition, memory, transfer, and learning related to STEM. She holds a Master of Science in Neurology and Neurosurgery from McGill University, where she investigated neuronal osmoregulation and mechanotransduction related to thirst regulation, and a Master of Science in Human Space Flight from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. She has conducted research studying the effects of microgravity on the visual perception of astronauts at the International Space Station and at NASA’s Johnson Space Center’s Human Health and Performance Directorate in Houston, Texas. She is certified in Management and Leadership from Harvard Business School and recognized for her work by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.