Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Alain Dabdoub as the inaugural Koerner Chair in Hearing and Balance Regeneration, jointly shared by Sunnybrook and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at University of Toronto (U of T), for a five-year term.
Dr. Dabdoub was recruited to the Sunnybrook Research Institute and U of T in 2012 and is now a senior scientist in the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, the Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Otolaryngology at U of T, and a professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at U of T.
Internationally recognized for his advancements in the field of inner ear research, Dr. Dabdoub’s work addresses the need for diagnostics and therapies for inner ear disorders, such as hearing loss and balance disorders, which affect millions of people worldwide.
“The prevalence of hearing and balance disorders is expected to double in the next two decades, underscoring the urgency of our research,” says Dr. Dabdoub.
“Currently, there are no approved biological treatments, and my work aims to change this by advancing diagnostics, regenerative therapies and delivery strategies to address this urgent health need.”
Encompassing precision diagnostics, regenerative medicine and therapeutic delivery, Dr. Dabdoub’s research bridges fundamental and translational science. As Koerner Chair, his work will continue to focus on molecular signaling pathways that govern inner ear neurodevelopment and regeneration, specifically for hearing and balance.
The new Koerner Chair in Hearing and Balance Regeneration is generously supported by the Koerner family.
For nearly half a century, Michael and Sonja Koerner have brought insightful leadership and a strategic, entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy. Their generous support of the arts, health care and education has made a significant and lasting impact locally, nationally and globally.
Giving back to the community is a value that they have instilled in their family and one that Sonja exemplified through her many years as Vice-Chair of Sunnybrook’s Board of Trustees and member of the Governing Council.
In 2010, their visionary investment in hearing regeneration to establish the Sonja N. Koerner Hearing Regeneration Laboratory vaulted Sunnybrook onto the international stage. The laboratory recruited the best and brightest to Sunnybrook while shining a light on important hearing regeneration research.
With the establishment of the Koerner Chair in Hearing and Balance Regeneration, the Koerner family continues their longstanding support in this evolving field.
Sunnybrook is grateful to the Koerner family whose generosity fuels life-changing research at Sunnybrook and solidifies our global leadership.