News Release
The Toronto Hospital Neurosciences Centre
(August 30,1996) The Toronto Hospital Neurosciences Centre is one of the
largest of its kind in North America. As a designated priority program at
the Hospital, its goals are to advance the detection and treatment of neurological
diseases through innovative patient care, research and teaching.
Located at the Western Division of the Hospital, the Centre brings together
the expertise of the divisions of Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neuroscience
Nursing, Neuroradiology, Neuropathology, Neurorehabilitation and Neuropsychiatry.
Allied health services, such as Social Work and Pharmacy, are an integral
part of the centre. This team works together to provide optimal care for
the treatment of diseases that affect the brain, spinal cord, the nerves
and muscles. A major clinical referral centre for the Greater Toronto Area
and across Canada, the Neurosciences Centre provides specialized services
for the treatment of spinal cord injuries, brain tumours, brain vascular
malformations and epilepsy.
The Centre also has numerous specialized ambulatory clinics including the
Brain Tumour Clinic, Stroke Prevention Clinic and Movement Disorders Clinic.
As the principal teaching hospital of the University of Toronto, The Toronto
Hospital Neurosciences Centre is the largest teaching centre in Canada for
the training of residents in Neurology and Neurosurgery. In the last academic
year, more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students,
fellows and nurses received their training at The Toronto Hospital Neurosciences
Centre.
RESEARCH The goal of improving patient care through innovative, research-based
initiatives drives the staff of the Neurosciences Centre to seek new therapies
and technologies in treating neurological diseases. The Playfair Neuroscience
Unit is the research arm of the Neurosciences Centre. It comprises a dedicated
group of scientists and clinician-scientists. Their research is focused
on diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's; epilepsy; spinal cord and
brain injuries, brain tumours; sleep disorders; vision and hearing disorders
and drug addiction. Research is funded through prestigious granting agencies
such as the Medical Research Council of Canada and through partnerships
with industry.
The Neurosciences Centre is closely linked with the community it serves.
It has formed linkages with such organizations as the Heart and Stroke Foundation,
the Parkinson Foundation, the Alzheimer Society and the Canadian Paraplegic
Association. It also has taken an active role in the prevention of stroke
and brain and spinal cord injuries.
Think First Canada, based at The Toronto Hospital, is a national
organization with goals to reduce the incidence of preventable injuries
from trauma. It promotes its message of safety through public awareness
and education. The Think First School Program comprises a team of health
care professionals and patients which goes into schools promoting safety
in motor vehicle accidents and sports. The safety promotion video, Sudden
Impact, aimed to prevent brain and spinal cord injuries resulting from
careless diving has been distributed to every high school in Canada. Patient
care, teaching, research and prevention -- these are the pillars of The
Toronto Hospital Neurosciences Centre.
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©1997 The Toronto Hospital Foundation: Last Revised 5 June 1997