Baycrest named Canada’s #1 most research-intensive hospital

January 18, 2022 Baycrest is proud to be recognized as the #1 most research-intensive hospital in Canada, according to Research Infosource’s latest rankings for Canada’s Top 40 Research Hospitals.

Led by Baycrest’s world-renowned Rotman Research Institute (RRI), Baycrest scientists attracted an average of $997,000 each in research funding last year. Baycrest has been recognized among Canada’s top research-intensive hospitals for 10 years in a row. Baycrest also ranked as Canada’s third research hospital by growth this year, with a 47 per cent increase in research spending year over year, and moved up eight positions in overall ranking over the past five years.

Despite the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the RRI has continued to increase the reach of its critical research in aging and brain health, Alzheimer’s and related dementias, sensory and cognitive neuroscience, and neuroinformatics and computational neuroscience. We have driven innovative mobile and virtual testing approaches, and contributed significantly to our understanding of COVID-19’s effects on the brain. This work has been supported by $26.9 million spent on research funding obtained from a growing number of organizations and foundations, including the Baycrest Foundation. We are especially grateful to donors of the Baycrest Foundation for their continued support of research.

Dementia research at the RRI and across the Baycrest campus covers a spectrum of critical issues, with an emphasis on the prevention, early detection, and treatment and care of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Baycrest is also the national scientific headquarters for the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA), Canada’s largest dementia research initiative, which brings together over 300 of the country’s leading researchers and clinicians to defeat dementia.

More than 500,000 Canadians currently live with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, affecting one out of every four Canadians over the age of 85. Before COVID-19, this number was expected to nearly double by 2030. Based on Baycrest research – the pandemic is likely speeding that growth, creating an even more urgent health crisis and need for research in this crucial area. Studies from the RRI and collaborators have found both direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 on the brain, which may lead to an increase in the incidence of dementia for many years to come. Research is essential to tackle this imminent challenge. 
 
RRI scientists are founding partners and key drivers of the Toronto Dementia Research Alliance (TDRA), created by the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network (TAHSN, including the University of Toronto and its leading affiliated research hospitals); the Ontario Neurodegenerative Disease Research Initiative (ONDRI), funded by the Ontario Brain Institute; the Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform (CONP); the Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery; and the Canadian Brain Research Strategy. In close collaboration with other provincial, national, and international groups, Baycrest researchers develop and contribute new ways of understanding the aging brain, with a commitment to open science to enable and accelerate research discoveries in aging, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases. Baycrest research aims to make the future of predictive neuroscience for optimal aging and personalized care a reality.

“Now more than ever, Canada must ensure all older people can live their best possible lives. To reach that goal, research is critical to show us how to optimize aging and brain health for each individual,” says Dr. Allison Sekuler, Vice-President, Research and the Sandra A. Rotman Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience at Baycrest, and Professor at the University of Toronto. “We are extremely grateful to the funders of our foundational and translational research addressing this vital issue; to the extraordinarily talented and creative scientists, staff and students who move the work forward; and to the community of older adults and caregivers who give so generously of their time to help us create a world where everyone is empowered to age fearlessly.”

“Baycrest’s vision is a world where every older adult enjoys a life of purpose, inspiration and fulfilment. The critical research at the RRI and across the Baycrest campus is paving the way towards this vision and a world where every older adult can Fear No Age ^TM,” says Dr. William Reichman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Baycrest.
 
“Baycrest and its researchers consistently punch above their weight in health research. Baycrest is constantly pushing the boundaries of research,” says Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource Inc.
 
Research Infosource’s annual Top 40 Research Hospital list ranks hospitals on their ability to attract financial support for research.
 
About Baycrest
 
Baycrest is a global leader in research, innovation, education and care for older adults, with a special focus on brain health and aging. Baycrest is home to a robust research and innovation network, including one of the world’s top research institutes in cognitive neuroscience and aging, the Rotman Research Institute; the scientific headquarters of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging, Canada’s largest national dementia research initiative; and the Baycrest-powered Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation, a solution accelerator focused on driving innovation in the aging and brain health sector. Baycrest helps aging adults assess, monitor, maintain and enhance cognition through an innovative portfolio of evidence-based products and services offered through its brain health company, Cogniciti.
 
Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest provides excellent care for older adults combined with an extensive clinical training program for the next generation of healthcare professionals. Through these initiatives, Baycrest has remained at the forefront of the fight to defeat dementia as the organization works to help individuals Fear No Age ^TM and create a world where every older adult enjoys a life of purpose, inspiration and fulfilment. Founded in 1918 as the Toronto Jewish Old Folks Home, Baycrest continues to embrace the long-standing tradition of all great Jewish healthcare institutions to improve the well-being of people in their local communities and around the globe. For more information about Baycrest, visit baycrest.org or visit FearNoAge.com for more information about our brand.
 
About Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute
 
The Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest is a preeminent international centre for the study of aging and human brain function. Through generous support from private donors and funding agencies, the RRI advances our understanding of human brain structure and function in critical areas of clinical, cognitive, and computational neuroscience, including perception, memory, language, attention and decision making. With a primary focus on aging and brain health, including Alzheimer’s and related dementias, research at the RRI and across the Baycrest campus promotes effective care and improved quality of life for older adults through research into age- and disease-related behavioural and neural changes.