Introducing the second co-speaker for the second SYNChrony (Southwestern Ontario Year-round Neurosciences Collaboration) rounds, a joint grand rounds endeavour by Krembil Brain Institute of Toronto Western Hospital and London Health Service:
Dr. Taufik Valiante from Toronto Western Hospital
Dr. Valiante is a Staff Neurosurgeon (Epilepsy Surgery, Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, and Cranial Neurosurgery) and Surgeon Scientist at University Health Network and Department of Surgery, University of Toronto. He is most notably the Co-Director of the Max Planck-University of Toronto Centre (MPUTC) for Neural Science and Technology; the Centre for Advancing Neurotechnological Innovation to Application (CRANIA); and the CRANIA Neuromodulation Institute (CNMI). He is also holds the Gerry and Tootsie Halbert Chair in Neural Repair and Regeneration.
Dr. Valiante graduated from the MD/PhD program at the University of Toronto in 1997, and pursued an epilepsy neurosurgery fellowship at the University of Washington, Seattle, where he learned Dr. Ojemann's technique of language mapping for patient's undergoing epilepsy surgery. It was there that his “dream” began of building ‘next-generation’ laboratory spaces such as Ojemann’, but focused on enhancing the ‘lab’ into an ecosystem that brings together in real-time basic science, clinical, and scientific fields. His research, education, and discovery pursuits have established world-class infrastructures that are driving the next-generation of transdisciplinary spaces that promote the non-traditional intersectionality of scientific fields of medicine, engineering, and computational work to advance our knowledge and discovery potential that spans from the neuron to the whole brain.
He had the recent honor of being acknowledged by the esteemed Martin Stratmann, President of the Max Planck Society, for creating the first Max Planck Centre in the World with a Physician lead, altering the potential of how discovery science will transform direct patient care. His efforts in establishing centres such as CRANIA, CNMI, MPUTC are to create a nexus of neural science and technology that drive discovery of therapeutics that are focused on transforming brain health using advanced devices that interface with specific areas of the central or peripheral nervous system.
Dr. Valiante also has a strong engagement with the Epilepsy Community through numerous community Boards, where he became acutely aware of the needs of the community – in particular access to surgical services. Working closely with community partners, UHN and SickKids administration, he developed the chronic disease model that was the basis of the Provincial Epilepsy. His conceptualization of the hub-and-spoke model of Epilepsy care in Ontario predicated on the emerging principles of Chronic Disease Management and WHO’s Innovative Care for Chronic Disease has led to Ontario being the only place in the world with regionalized approach to Epilepsy Care.