Health Research Caucus Luncheon
Health Research Caucus Luncheon
Hosted by Senator Kelvin Ogilvie
Research Canada’s Health Research Caucus is proud to welcome Dr. Andres Lozano, Professor and Chair of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto for a discussion on deep brain stimulation (DBS). Join us to learn more about how Dr. Lozano and his colleagues have pioneered DBS in the treatment of anorexia, depression, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and Alzheimer’s.
How a Ground-breaking Surgery is Saving Lives
Dr. Andres Lozano
Professor and Chair of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto
Andres is the Professor and Chair of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto and holds both the RR Tasker Chair in Functional Neurosurgery and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience. He has an active laboratory dedicated to the study of neurodegeneration and functional neurosurgery and is best known for his work in deep brain stimulation (DBS).
Andres has approximately 400 publications and has edited five books. He serves on the executive board of several international organizations, including the Michael J. Fox Foundation. He is a recognized leader in the surgery and pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease and in functional neurosurgery and has given over 400 invited lectures around the world. Andres has been elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and has received the Order of Spain. Read more
Dr. Kim Rollins-Lowres
Kim was 14 when she developed anorexia. For years she ate next to nothing, exercised excessively and struggled with obsessive thoughts that drove her to be thin.
Malnutrition took its toll and after rounds of unsuccessful treatments, she suffered severe anxiety, a heart attack, two strokes and 8 broken bones caused by the early onset of osteoporosis.
Weighing only 71 lbs, Kim knew that if she “didn’t find something that could help [she] would not be around long.”
She was then introduced to Dr. Lozano and his team of researchers who were conducting a pilot study on DBS. After much consultation, Kim volunteered to be among the first in the world to undergo DBS for severe anorexia. She had surgery on January 13th, 2012, receiving a pacemaker-like implant that sends a steady current of electricity to the region of her brain that was misbehaving.