The 5th Annual Research Symposium was hosted on Wednesday, April 23rd 2025, and featured over 15 speakers who discussed Metabolic Health and Mental Illness. This is an evolving research area that brings together researchers, clinicians, patients, foundations, families, and community members all with a common goal of understanding and treating mental illness through novel approaches. We heared from the Founder of the field of Mitochondrial Medicine, Basic and Translational Scientists, Clinicians, and those with Lived Experience to learn about Mitochondria, Metabolic, and Brain Health. The symposium offered keynote speakers, expert panel sessions, trainee poster sessions & awards, and a networking social.
The 5th Annual Research Symposium was hosted on Wednesday, April 23rd 2025, and featured over 15 speakers who discussed Metabolic Health and Mental Illness. This is an evolving research area that brings together researchers, clinicians, patients, foundations, families, and community members all with a common goal of understanding and treating mental illness through novel approaches. We heared from the Founder of the field of Mitochondrial Medicine, Basic and Translational Scientists, Clinicians, and those with Lived Experience to learn about Mitochondria, Metabolic, and Brain Health. The symposium offered keynote speakers, expert panel sessions, trainee poster sessions & awards, and a networking social.
Agenda
Panelists:
| 8:30 AM – 8:55 AM | Registration + Coffee |
| 8:55 AM- 9:00 AM | Welcome Remarks
Chair/Co-chair Ana Andreazza, Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology & Psychiatry, UofT Rob McCullumsmith, MD, PhD, FACNP, Professor and Chair, Department of Neurosciences and Psychiatry, UToledo
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| 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM | Keynote Speaker: A Mitochondrial Etiology of Complex Diseases
Douglas Wallace, Director, of the Centre for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia |
| 9:45 AM – 10:00 AM | Discussion |
| Panel Section 1: Molecular + Translational | |
| 10:00 AM – 10:20 AM | Panelist 1: Ketogenic metabolic therapy in schizophrenia: From animal models to a randomised controlled clinical trial
Zoltan Sarnyai, Professor and Director, Margaret Roderick Centre for Mental Health Research, James Cook University |
| 10:20 AM – 10:40 AM | Panelist 2
Mark Frye, Consultant, Department of Psychiatry & Psychology, Mayo Clinic. |
| 10:40 AM – 11:00 AM | Trainee Presentation |
| 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM | Panel Discussion |
| 11:30 AM – 1:25 PM | Poster Session 1: 11:30 AM-12:30 PM
Lunch to be served at 12:00PM Poster Session 2: 1:00PM to 1:25PM (Continued at 4:00 PM) |
| 1:25 PM – 1:30 PM | Chair/Co-Chair
Maggie Hahn, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Senior Scientist, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute Centre of Addiction and Mental Health Dost Ongur, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Chief of the Division of Psychiatric Disorders, McLean Hospital. Director, Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Research Program. |
| 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM | Keynote Speaker: Immuno(metabolic) dysfunction in early stages of severe mental illness: translation into clinical impact
Rachel Upthegrove, Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Director, Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre. |
| 2:15 PM – 2:30 PM | Discussion |
| Panel 2: Clinical + Translational | |
| 2:30 PM – 2:50 PM |
Panelist 1: Harnessing Metabolic Psychiatry: New Treatment Developments in Bipolar and Related Disorders
Mary L Phillips, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, and Bioengineering, and Pittsburgh Foundation-Emmerling Endowed Chair in Psychotic Disorders. Director of the Center for Neural Circuit-Based Technology Interventions in Psychiatry and the Center for Research in Translational and Developmental Affective Neuroscience. Director of the Collaborative on Mood Disorders Research. Director of the Mood and Brain Laboratory. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh.
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| 2:50 PM – 3:10 PM |
Panelist 2: Metabolic Bariatric Surgery and Mental Illness: Understanding Physical-Mental Health Integration and Outcomes
Sanjeev Sockalingam, Vice Chair and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and Senior Vice President, Education and Chief Medical Officer at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health |
| 3:10 PM – 3:30 PM | Trainee Presentation |
| 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Panel Discussion |
| 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Coffee Break- Poster Session 2 Continued |
| Lived Experience Panel + Discussion | |
| 4:30 PM – 5:15 PM | Moderators:
Margaret Hahn, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Clinician-Scientist in the Schizophrenia Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Mahavir Agarwal, Associate Professor in Department of Psychiatry, UofT, Scientist in the Schizophrenia Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Panelists: Ian Patton, Director of Advocacy and Public Engagement – Obesity Canada Fiora Ferretti, Patient Caroline Walker, Community Health & Education Assistant Dr. Iain Campbell, Baszucki Research Fellow in Metabolic Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh |
| 5:15 PM – 5:30 PM |
Poster Award and Closing Statements |
| 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM |
Networking with light refreshments |
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Ana Andreazza
Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology & Psychiatry, Scientific Director, Mitochondrial Innovation Initiative, University of Toronto
Robert McCullumsmith
Professor, Chair, Research Director, Neurosciences Institute in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo
Margaret Hahn
Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Senior Scientist, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute Centre of Addiction and Mental Health
Dost Ongur
Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Chief of the Division of Psychiatric Disorders, McLean Hospital Director, Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Research Program
Julie Milder
Director of Neuroscience, Baszucki Group
Kirk Nylen
Managing Director, Neuroscience, Baszucki Group
SUPPORTING COMMITTEE
Sonya Brijbassi
Associate Director, MITO2i
Erika Leigh Beroncal
Project Manager, MITO2i
