Who We Are

Director  

Dr. Nir Lipsman (MD, PhD) is the Director of Sunnybrook’s Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation (HCN), and the Clinical Director of Sunnybrook’s Focused Ultrasound Centre of Excellence. Dr. Lipsman is a neurosurgeon and scientist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Assistant Professor of Surgery, and Director of Neurosurgery Residency Program at the University of Toronto.  

He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto followed by a medical degree at Queen’s University, and a neurosurgical residency at the University of Toronto. During his residency, Dr. Lipsman completed his PhD investigating novel neuromodulation strategies in patients with treatment-resistant psychiatric and neurologic conditions. Dr. Lipsman’s research focuses on the development of novel neuromodulation strategies for neurologic and psychiatric conditions that are difficult to treat.  

Over the last 10+ years, Dr. Lipsman has helped develop several Phase 1 to Phase 3 clinical trials of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and MR-guided focused ultrasound (FUS) in novel indications, including the world’s first trial of DBS in chronic anorexia nervosa, and among the first published experiences of FUS for essential tremor. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, including in The Lancet, Lancet Neurology, Lancet Psychiatry, New England Journal of Medicine, and Neuron. 

Clinical Lead  

Dr. Giacobbe (BSc, MD, MSc, FRCPC) is the Clinical Head of the Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation and a member of the Mood and Anxiety Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto with appointments in the Division of Brain and Therapeutics and the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry. He completed medical school at the University of Western Ontario, followed by residency, fellowship training and graduate school at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Giacobbe’s clinical and research interests focus on the development and evaluation of Interventional Psychiatry strategies for individuals with treatment-resistant mood and anxiety disorders. He has contributed to the 2009, 2016 and 2024 CANMAT Guidelines for the Management of Major Depressive Disorder and has published over 150 articles and book chapters on the topics of mood disorders and brain stimulation including papers in the American Journal of Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, Brain Stimulation, CMAJ, Lancet, and Neuropsychopharmacology.

Clinician Investigator

Dr. Sean Nestor (MD, PhD, FRCPC) is a clinician-investigator and interventional psychiatrist at the Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation, at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and an Associate Member of the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto. He was trained in health sciences, biology and medical biophysics before completing his medical and doctoral studies at the University of Toronto, MD/PhD Program in 2016. He subsequently completed his residency in psychiatry at the University of Toronto in 2021

His research combines neuroimaging and investigational neuromodulation techniques to understand the mechanisms of brain plasticity and dysfunction in neurological and psychiatric disorders. His lab operates a concurrent TMS-fMRI experimental platform, and he leads therapeutic brain stimulation trials for post-concussive syndrome, treatment-resistant depression, and ALS. He has been a co-investigator on investigational treatment trials involving DBS for alcohol use disorder, PTSD, and high-frequency focused ultrasound treatment for OCD and MDD.

He has received funding from CIHR, the Labatt Family Network for Research in Depression, Norris Scholars Award and the Sunnybrook Foundation. He has published peer reviewed articles on topics including mood disorders, neuroimaging, neurostimulation and dementia in several leading medical and scientific journals such as Brain, The American Journal of Psychiatry, Neuropsychopharmacology, Neuroimage, Human Brain Mapping, Alzheimer’s & Dementia and Neurology.

Neurologist, Focused Ultrasound Investigator 

Dr. Agessandro Abrahao (MSc, MD) is a Focused Ultrasound Investigator of the Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation and a neurologist at Sunnybrook. He is an assistant professor in the department of Medicine (Neurology) at the University of Toronto. Dr. Abrahao received his MSc degree in Neuroscience from the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil and in Clinical Epidemiology from the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto. He completed an advanced fellowship training in ALS/ Neuromuscular Diseases at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre – University of Toronto and is certified in EMG techniques by the Canadian Society of Clinical Neurophysiologists. Dr. Abrahao also served as the inaugural Sunnybrook Focused Ultrasound Fellow. 

Dr. Abrahao’s research aims to expand the clinical trials of MR-guided focused ultrasound for neurological diseases. His research interests also include clinical trials and epidemiological studies of ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders. He is also interested in the development of biomarkers for motor neuron function using transcranial magnetic stimulation and motor unit count techniques. 

Pre-Clinical Lead  

Dr. Clement Hamani (MD, PhD) is the Pre-Clinical Lead of the Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation, and a neurosurgeon and scientist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Dr. Hamani received his medical degree from Escola Paulista de Medicina in São Paulo, Brazil in 1993, where he also received his PhD in Neurosciences. He completed a Research and Clinical Fellowship in Functional Neurosurgery at the Division of Neurosurgery at Toronto Western Hospital.

In 2008, Dr. Hamani joined the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health as a Research Associate and became an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, Division of Neurosurgery. In 2013, he won the Ohye Award, awarded by the World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (WSSFN) to promote clinical research in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery. Dr. Hamani is Full Professor at the Division of Neurosurgery and a Board Member of the World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. Dr. Hamani’s research focuses on the treatment of movement disorders, epilepsy, and psychiatric disorders. 

Neuropsychology Lead

Dr. Jenny Rabin (PhD) is the Neuropsychology Lead of the Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation and a Scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute. Dr. Rabin completed her MA/PhD in Clinical Psychology at York University, with a specialization in Neuropsychology. She also completed a joint clinical and research postdoctoral fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

Dr Rabin’s research characterizes cognitive, behavioural, and psychosocial changes associated with novel neuromodulation strategies. This includes low-intensity focused ultrasound (FUS) to open up the blood-brain barrier in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, and high-intensity FUS to treat severe psychiatric and neurological conditions, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, and essential tremor. Another line of her research combines multimodal neuroimaging, such as MRI and PET, with sensitive neuropsychological measures to better understand modifiable risk factors that may delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

In 2016, Dr. Rabin was the recipient of the Governor General’s Academic Gold Medal. In 2019, she received the 2019 Young Investigator Award at the international Human Amyloid Imaging Conference.

Scientist

Dr. Goubran (PhD) is a Scientist in the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program and Physical Sciences platform at the Sunnybrook Research Institute, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. He earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering with a specialization in Medical Imaging at the Robarts Research Institute at Western University. He then pursued his postdoctoral training at the Department of Radiology and the Neuroscience Program at Stanford University. He was recently awarded a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Computational Neurosciences & Artificial Intelligence. His work combines translational and basic science research, with the overarching aim of developing novel computational and imaging tools to probe and predict circuit alterations in neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and traumatic brain injury.

Neurosurgeon 

Benjamin Davidson (MD, PhD) is a functional neurosurgeon starting on staff at Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto. His interests include lesional and DBS treatment of movement disorders, pain, and psychiatric disease, and the use of advanced neuroimaging to help uncover predictors, biomarkers, and mechanisms of response. He has published extensively on MRgFUS capsulotomy in MDD and OCD, as well as the use of DBS to treatment alcohol use disorder. He’s keen to discuss ways to improve how we select patients, measure outcomes, and interrogate neurocircuits.  

Youth Psychiatrist 

Dr. Enoch Ng (MD) is a youth psychiatrist and scientist studying ways to non-invasively modulate brain circuits to improve the mental health of youth who have not improved with initial treatment with psychotherapy and/or medication. He completed a combined MD/PhD in neuroscience followed by training in general psychiatry and subspecialization in child and adolescent psychiatry. His research has been supported by the Labatt Family Discovery Program, the Norris Scholar Award, trainee awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, as well as recognized by the Dan Offord Research Award. Together with the team at the Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation, he will translate discoveries in neuroscience into new treatment pathways for youth with complex mood and anxiety disorders. He will also train mental health clinicians to provide neuromodulation treatments to youth, increasing access to these novel therapeutics for youth in Ontario and beyond. 

Research Manager, Psychiatric Disorders

Anusha Baskaran (PhD) is the Research Manager for Neuromodulation in Psychiatry at the Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation. Anusha completed her PhD in Clinical Neuroscience from Queen’s University in collaboration with the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND) at the University Health Network, and is experienced in clinical trial management. Anusha’s goal is to help improve treatment for psychiatric patients with treatment resistant illness by facilitating new developments of neuromodulation, and by maximizing the benefit of research collaborations and partnerships of growing networks.

Research Manager, Oncology and HCN Operations

Maheleth Llinas (BSc) has more than 10 years of experience in clinical trials and regulatory compliance. She has collaborated on several Phase 1 – 4 human drug trials in previous Coordinator, Quality and Regulatory, Assistant Medical Writer and Medical Affairs roles. In 2014, she joined the Sunnybrook Hospital research team where she managed the first ever pivotal trial in Canada for Magnetic Resonance Guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) for Essential Tremors. Since then, she has managed several studies involving invasive and non-invasive medical devices in brain related diseases such as: Alzheimer’s disease, broad movement disorders, ALS and brain tumors. She is also oversees the day to day operations of HCN. Maheleth has a strong commitment to advancing medical research and passion for working in challenging therapeutic areas.

Neurosurgeon 

Clinical and Research Manager 

Nadia completed a PhD in Behavioural Neuroscience at McMaster University. She began her research career investigating the impact of white matter injury on cognitive functioning in pediatric populations in the brain tumour and sickle cell programs at The Hospital for Sick Children. She joined Sunnybrook in 2015 and currently oversees the Movement Disorders platform, where she has supported clinical trials using focused ultrasound to manage medication-refractory tremor in populations diagnosed with essential tremor, tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. With an objective to provide compassionate support in the care of patients with movement disorders, Nadia has a particular interest in the impact of focused ultrasound on the quality-of-life of patients with tremor as well as their families. At present, she is exploring ways to make this procedure accessible tremor patients in all regions of the country. 

Research Coordinator

As a Clinical Research Coordinator at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Inthuja manages trials investigating the use of Focused Ultrasound for blood brain barrier opening in Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease. She is the co-first author of a publication analyzing geographic disparities in access to Focused Ultrasound treatments for Essential tremor, highlighting her commitment to addressing systemic healthcare inequities. 

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Waterloo, where she conducted research on Type 2 Diabetes, focusing on barriers to exercise and lifestyle improvements. This work shaped her drive to tackle complex health challenges by integrating patient needs with evidence-based solutions. 

With a strong foundation in research, education, and clinical operations, Inthuja is dedicated to advancing medical innovation, fostering equitable healthcare access, and improving patient outcomes through ground-breaking therapies. 

Clinical Research Coordinator

Communications Strategist

As the Communications Strategist, Leila showcases the ground-breaking research and clinical work happening at HCN by strengthening outreach efforts, creating engaging marketing collateral, and building connections that amplify impact. 

With a diploma in graphic design, and a BA in Psychology she brings a unique combination of creativity and academic insight to her work.  

She works closely with the HCN team to develop and execute communication strategies that enhance recruitment for clinical trials, boost visibility, and expand their global presence. Through collaboration with healthcare professionals, industry leaders, and community organizations, she aims to support HCN’s mission to advance research in neuromodulation and care across Canada and around the world.