$2.25M awarded for research into depression

Vancouver, BC – Dr Allan Young, of the University of British Columbia, has been named to a new $2.25 million research chair in BC. As the new BC Leadership Chair in Depression Research, Dr Young will conduct research to translate neuroscience findings into effective clinical treatments.

An internationally recognized researcher for his study of the neuroendocrine system and its role in mood disorders, Dr Young is a pioneer in the application of brain imaging to the study of mental illness.

“This funding will help support UBC’s world-class environment for clinical research,” he says. “Working with outstanding colleagues and with close links to the community, we hope to take a bench-to-bedside approach to the challenges presented by severe mental illness.”

The funding for the leadership chairs program was established with an initial provincial commitment of $45 million. Twenty chairs will each receive a total endowment of up to $4.5 million, which is cost-shared between the government and the private sector. The VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation has committed matching funding of $2.25 million for the BC Leadership Chair in Depression Research.

This is the province’s third BC Leadership Chair. The first, for spinal cord research, was awarded to the Rick Hansen Institute at UBC. Dr John Steeves, a recognized leader in spinal cord research was appointed to the position in 2002. The second, for prostate cancer research at the Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital, was awarded to Dr Martin Gleave in July 2005. The remaining chairs will be awarded by the end of 2006.