Dr. Rohan Ganguli receives CIHR grant

CAMH President and CEO Dr. Paul Garfinkel is proud to announce that Dr. Rohan Ganguli, CAMH’s Executive Vice President of Clinical Programs, has been awarded a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Chronic Disease Management to investigate health issues related to schizophrenia. This 1.4 million dollar Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) grant will provide funds to support salary and research costs for an initial period of 7 years, and can be renewed, based on CIHR review.

Dr. Rohan Ganguli, Executive Vice President of Clinical Programs

On average, people with schizophrenia die at a much younger age than the general population. Dr. Ganguli has gained an international reputation for conducting innovative research to understand and mitigate the factors which cause this premature death and disablement. He was one of the first scientists to point out the relationship between new antipsychotic medications and excessive weight gain, and to conduct scientifically rigorous interventions to reduce this adverse effect of the medications.

At CAMH Dr. Ganguli will build on his research program by investigating non-psychiatric health issues in individuals suffering from schizophrenia and other serious and persistent mental disorders. His goal is to increase the effectiveness of risk-reducing behavioural interventions, prevent the development of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and explore the role that inflammation plays in obesity associated with schizophrenia. He also plans to collaborate with the genetics research group at CAMH to explore genetic factors which may influence response to weight reduction efforts. The results of these studies are expected to help prolong and improve the quality of life of people with schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses.

Congratulations, Dr. Ganguli on receiving this prestigious and important Chair.