Ontario Brain Institute names Bryce Pickard, health and technology expert, as Senior Vice-President & Chief Operating Officer

TORONTO, Nov. 25, 2024 /CNW/ - Tom Mikkelsen, President and Scientific Director of the Ontario Brain Institute (OBI), is pleased to announce that Bryce Pickard has joined the organization's leadership team as Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer.

He will succeed John Clarkson, retiring from OBI in January after more than 11 years of service.

Dr. Mikkelsen has offered his sincere thanks to Mr. Clarkson for his steadfast governance of OBI from 2013 to present day.

"After over a decade at the helm of our organization, John is leaving big shoes to fill. He has seen OBI through two successful funding cycles as well as navigated us through profound change, notably the expansion of our commercialization portfolio, the growth of our neuroinformatics program culminating in the launch of the Centre for Analytics, and our presence on the international stage," Dr. Mikkelsen stated. "We are grateful to him for his knowledge, his strategic mindset, and his integrity."

Bryce Pickard joins the Ontario Brain Institute with extensive experience in the health and technology sectors. He has held progressive leadership roles across both the non-profit and for-profit domains, gaining broad expertise in business strategy, operations, intellectual property, and digital health. With a PhD in Human Physiology and an Executive MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business, Dr. Pickard is passionate about advancing health technologies and fostering innovation in patient care.

Heather Chalmers, Chair of the Ontario Brain Institute Board of Directors, explained that Dr. Pickard's leadership in research administration, non-profit management, partnership development, and healthcare innovation roles is well aligned with OBI's areas of impact: clinical research, data management, integrated knowledge translation, and neurotechnology commercialization.

"We are on the precipice of change in brain health, with several promising areas of research beginning to transform into direct benefits for treating notoriously complex and devastating neurodegenerative disease," Ms. Chalmers said.

"After an extensive search, the Board of Directors and I believe that with Bryce's strategic leadership in place to promote both our mission and our ethos, we are in good hands to continue advancing Ontario's position as a world leader in scientific discovery that improves health and care for tomorrow, and one that translates those findings into meaningful improvements in care and quality of life that are helping people today."

In his role at OBI, Dr. Pickard will be both central and key to the organization's administration and culture, responsible for helping provide strategic direction, establishing policies and practices, and managing personnel to drive performance and success.

"I am honoured to join OBI as the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer," he said. "I look forward to working with the OBI team and the community of researchers, clinicians, industry and patients, to drive meaningful impact for individuals living with brain disorders."

ABOUT OBI:

The Ontario Brain Institute (OBI) is a provincially funded, not-for-profit organization that accelerates discovery and innovation, benefiting both patients and the economy. OBI's collaborative 'team science' approach promotes brain research, commercialization, and care by connecting researchers, clinicians, industry, patients, and their advocates to improve the lives of those living with brain disorders.

SOURCE Ontario Brain Institute

Renée Dunk, Senior Communications Lead (Ontario Brain Institute), [email protected] | 416-562-2695; Allison Garber, Consultant (Ontario Brain Institute), [email protected] | 902-221-5254