Symposium Program
OPEN TO ALL HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS
This event will take place on Thursday, February 13, 2025 from 10am to 5:15pm Eastern Time.
Exact presentation times will be posted here during the week of the Symposium.
Dr. Andrew Frank
Dr. Sandra Black
Dr. Howard Chertkow
Panel: New Disease-Modifying Therapies for Alzheimer’s Disease
Learning Objectives
Describe insights on new disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that may soon be available in Canada
Describe a practical approach to informing patients and families about potential benefits and risks of disease-modifying therapies
About Dr. Andrew Frank
Dr. Andrew Frank is a cognitive/behavioural neurologist and researcher at Bruyère Memory Program at the Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. After finishing his Bachelor’s degree in Honours Biochemistry at the University of Calgary, Dr. Frank completed his M.D. at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He completed his residency in Neurology at the University of Ottawa. Following this, Dr. Frank undertook a subspecialty fellowship in Cognitive and Behavioural Neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Frank’s clinical practice is focused on the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. His clinical interest lies in the early detection of cognitive disorders, such as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Dr. Frank’s research interest centers on investigating new pharmacologic treatments and technologies for Alzheimer’s disease.
About Dr. Sandra Black
Dr. Sandra E Black is a Professor of Medicine (Neurology Division) at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, and is an internationally known cognitive and stroke neurologist, actively engaged in > 70 pharma trials in the last 3 decades. She has published >650 peer publications in a research career bridging dementia and stroke, using standardized, cognitive, functional and behavioural measures, and neuropathology to study brain-behavior relationships. Career totals: peer-reviewed: 665 group: 85; invited: 74; abstracts: 924; lectures: 725; H-index: 109 (Scopus) 145 (Google Scholar); GS Citations: 90,541. She was a recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award of American Academy of Neurology's Society of Cognitive and Behavioural Neurology and also UBC’s 2022 Margolese Brain Disorders prize, recognizing Canadians who have made outstanding contributions to amelioration and treatment of brain disorders. She was also appointed Member of the Order of Ontario in 2011 and Officer in the Order of Canada in 2015 for her contributions to Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and vascular dementia. She is ranked 8th nationally and 281 in the world of the top 1000 female scientists by Research.com, a leading academic platform for researchers (2024).
About Dr. Howard Chertkow
Dr. Chertkow is a cognitive neurologist at the Baycrest Health Sciences Centre. He is a Senior Scientist and Chair in Cognitive Neurology and Innovation at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute. He is a Professor in the Dept. of Medicine (Neurology) at University of Toronto. At Baycrest he is also director of the new Bank Family Clinical Trials Research Unit and the Kimel Family Centre for Brain Health. His areas of research interest include early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease, and therapy of dementia using neuromodulation approaches. Dr. Chertkow is Scientific Director for the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA).
Dr. Robin Hsiung
Genetics in Dementia: How to Counsel Family Members
Learning Objectives
Review the role of genetic testing in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia
Discuss practical approaches to counseling patients and family members about genetic testing results
About Dr. Robin Hsiung
Dr. Robin Hsiung is Associate Professor in the University of British Columbia Division of Neurology and Behavioural Neurologist in the UBC Hospital Clinic for Alzheimer and Related Disorders. He received his MD at Queen’s University (Kingston), internship training at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, and Neurology residency at University of Washington. He received further fellowship in neurogenetics at the University of Calgary and Behavioural Neurology at UBC. His research has contributed to the discovery of the progranulin and C9orf72 gene for frontotemporal dementia, and he is currently examining novel biomarkers in the detection and diagnosis of various types of dementia. He is also exploring the role non-pharmacological treatments such as exercise, music therapy, and computerized training in the prevention and management of patients with dementia.
Dr. Hsiung currently also serves as the President of the Consortium of Canadian Centres for Clinical Cognitive Research (C5R), which is a non-profit organization that coordinates and streamlines clinical trials across a network of specialized memory clinics across Canada. He has extensive experience in conducting clinical trials and is involved in a many international consortiums such as the ADNI, DIAN-TU, and ALLFTD. His research contributions have appeared in over 180 peer-reviewed publications with an H-index of 67.
Dr. Carmela Tartaglia
LATE and Other Co-Pathologies
Describe limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE) and its identification in MINT Clinics
Describe the practical management of LATE in MINT Clinics
Learning Objectives
About Dr. Carmela Tartaglia
Dr. Tartaglia is a Professor at the University of Toronto and a cognitive-behavioral neurologist at the UHN Memory Clinic where she sees patients with neurodegenerative diseases and persistent symptoms of concussion. Her research interests lie in early detection of co-pathologies in patients with neurodegenerative disease. She holds the Marion and Gerald Soloway Chair in Brain Injury and Concussion Research.
Dr. David Tang-Wai
How to Recognize Autoimmune Encephalitis
To recognize the varied neurological, psychiatric, and medical presentations of a limbic encephalitis
To obtain the initial tests to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of a limbic encephalitis and referral to a specialist
Learning Objectives
About Dr. David Tang-Wai
Dr. David Tang-Wai is a behavioural neurologist and co-director of the UHN Memory Clinic. He is also the Department Division Director of Neurology and interim executive director of the Toronto Dementia Research Alliance for the University of Toronto. His academic interests include the atypical presentations of Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune encephalitis and normal pressure hydrocephalus.
Dr. Sara Mitchell
Exploring the Leaky Pipelines of the Brain: Insights into Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy (CAA)
Review the pathophysiology of cerebral amyloid angiopathy, its connections to micro- and macro-hemorrhages, and explore its associations with Alzheimer’s disease.
Evaluate counseling and management strategies for patients with CAA, including considerations related to CAA-associated inflammation.
Examine amyloid-related imaging abnormalities, including their subtypes, and assess their risks in the context of emerging disease-modifying therapies.
Learning Objectives
About Dr. Sara Mitchell
Dr. Sara Mitchell is a cognitive neurologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, where she holds dual appointments in the Division of Neurology and the Department of Psychiatry. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. Dr. Mitchell completed her neurology residency at the University of Toronto, followed by specialized fellowship training in cognitive and behavioural neurology and neuropsychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University along with a Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH) from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Dr. Mitchell's clinical interest lies at the intersection of brain-related disciplines, with a focus on neurodegenerative disorders, including dementia, and neuropsychiatric conditions. She is the Director of the Brain Medicine Program at the University of Toronto, an innovative fellowship and research initiative that promotes interdisciplinarity among brain-related specialties. Dr. Mitchell is dedicated to improving the quality of care for patients with complex brain disorders and accelerating the pace of innovation in clinical care, medical training and knowledge translation.
Dr. Adrian Wagg
Meaningful Engagement at Home and Congregate Living
Learning Objectives
Discuss non-pharmacologic strategies to managing loneliness and a lack of meaningful engagement at home and in congregate living for persons living with dementia
About Dr. Adrian Wagg
Dr. Adrian Wagg is a specialist in Geriatric and General Medicine with expertise in health services research. He is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta, Professor of Continence Sciences at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden and is currently Scientific Director within the Provincial Seniors & Continuing Care portfolio. Dr. Wagg has significant front-line experience in healthcare administration and systems development, a strong knowledge of operational issues and an in-depth perspective of healthcare of older Albertans. His research interests involve improving care for people with urinary incontinence, community engagement and the quality of care for older people in nursing homes.
Dr. Zahinoor Ismail
Managing Common Behavioural Concerns in Dementia Care
Learning Objectives
Discuss practical tips for managing common challenging behavioural concerns in dementia care
Review tips for family caregivers that might be helpful when these behavioural concerns arise
About Dr. Zahinoor Ismail
Dr. Zahinoor Ismail is a clinician scientist and Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, Epidemiology, and Pathology at the University of Calgary. He sees the whole spectrum of dementia patients from the cognitive neurology clinic through to memory care units in nursing homes. He has certification in Behavioural Neurology & Neuropsychiatry, and Geriatric Psychiatry, and his research includes: i) rating scale development and measurement-based care; ii) non-cognitive markers of dementia; iii) neuroimaging and biomarker studies; and iv) clinical trials. He is also Chair of the Canadian Conference on Dementia.