On March 31, 2022, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) announced $2.4 million in funding for a Health Research Training Platform to support training and development of students and early career scientists researching vascular contributions to cognitive decline and dementia, namely the Vascular Training (VAST) Platform. Indeed, vascular disease is the second most common cause of age-related dementia. Proper blood flow in the brain is essential for maintaining cognitive function.
The VAST platform will be co-led by Dr. Eric Smith of the University of Calgary, Dr. AmanPreet Badhwar, CRIUGM researcher and an assistant Professor at the Faculté de médecine, Département de pharmacologie et physiologie at the Université de Montréal, Dr. Bojana Stefanovic of Sunnybrook Research Institute and Dr. Erin Mazerolle of St. Francis Xavier University.