Sunnybrook is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Peter Giacobbe as the inaugural Kerr Chair in Interventional Psychiatry, jointly shared by Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.
As the incumbent for a five-year term, Dr. Giacobbe’s mandate will drive the future research direction of the newly established Kerr Centre for Interventional Psychiatry, leveraging the global reputation of Sunnybrook’s Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation, particularly in the delivery of interventional psychiatric treatments across the lifespan.
“As the inaugural Kerr Chair in Interventional Psychiatry, my goal is for the Kerr Centre to be a worldwide leader in interventional psychiatric care, research and education,” says Dr. Giacobbe, a psychiatrist and associate scientist in the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program at Sunnybrook. “I look forward to leveraging this role to further increase the impact of Sunnybrook and the Kerr Centre on the global stage.”
Dr. Giacobbe was recruited to Sunnybrook in 2018 as the inaugural clinical head of the Harquail Centre, where he was tasked with developing an interventional psychiatry program that would provide neurocircuitry-guided, direct-to-brain interventions for treatment-resistant brain disorders. Under his leadership, the Harquail Centre has expanded to form the Kerr Centre, which includes an array of invasive and non-invasive interventional psychiatry treatment options, notably repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), deep-brain stimulation and MRI-guided focused ultrasound.
“As the Kerr Chair in Interventional Psychiatry, I will continue to champion a care pathway of interventional treatments to improve both the quality and quantity of life for those affected with the most difficult-to-treat forms of neuropsychiatric illness,” he says.
An accomplished clinician and researcher, Dr. Giacobbe, who is also an associate professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, is one of few psychiatrists in the world with expertise in the delivery and evaluation of deep brain stimulation, MRI-guided focused ultrasound, rTMS and electroconvulsive therapy.
The Kerr Chair in Interventional Psychiatry is made possible through the generosity of the Sheryl and David Kerr.
The Kerrs are long-standing supporters of Sunnybrook, and for decades have advanced the hospital’s most urgent priorities across our programs. Their most recent commitment to establish this Chair and the Kerr Centre for Interventional Psychiatry demonstrates their deep commitment to ensuring Sunnybrook is leading in innovative patient care, meeting the changing needs of our patient community and transforming the patients’ experience.
Sheryl has been recognized for her extensive volunteer involvement, including championing the first brain sciences fundraising cabinet and now serves as Vice-Chair of the Foundation’s Governing Council.