The Garron Family Expands Their Remarkable History of Generosity with a $15 Million Gift to CAMH
TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2020 /CNW/ - Adding to a lifetime of philanthropy, the Centre for Mental Health and Addiction (CAMH ) was pleased to announce today a $15 million gift from the Garron family that will help revolutionize mental health research through brain imaging.
"We are extremely grateful to count the Garron Family among our growing community of mental health champions. Gifts like this will support targeted research that will enhance our understanding of the brain chemistry underlying mental illness," said Dr. Catherine Zahn, CAMH President and CEO. "Investing in research is critical to improving care and developing new treatments for the patients of tomorrow."
CAMH is home to one of the only imaging labs worldwide focusing solely on mental health research. The state-of-the-art imaging facilities enable researchers to probe the brain to better understand brain health and to advance mental health treatments. While CAMH scientists have already made great progress in areas such as finding links between inflammation and depression and identifying new treatments for Alzheimer's disease, the Garron family's donation will help accelerate this important work.
"Our family is proud to invest in brain imaging at CAMH," said Myron Garron. "The human brain is the final frontier, and imaging will help us get more people the right diagnosis and treatment so they can recover from mental illness."
In recognition of the Garron's visionary support, a medical imaging suite for positron emission tomography (PET) at CAMH will be named the "Garron Family PET Imaging Suite," and the Intergenerational Wellness Building located at 80 Workman Way will be re-named the "Garron Family Building."
"We are at a crucial time to better understand the brain. This generous investment will drive Canada's capacity for breakthroughs in new and tremendously exciting ways," said Dr. Neil Vasdev, Director of CAMH's Brain Health Imaging Centre. "The critical resources provided by the generosity of the Garron Family will be used to advance CAMH as a leader in brain imaging. We will now be able to translate innovative tools for early and accurate diagnosis, and new treatment options for mental health much faster."
Quick Facts
- By the age of 40, one in two Canadians will have, or have had, a mental illness.
- CAMH cutting-edge leadership in radiochemistry has already contributed new methods to help diagnose and treat conditions including addictions, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, autism spectrum disorder, brain cancers, depression, traumatic brain injuries, and more.
CAMH is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in its field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.
SOURCE Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Hayley Chazan, Manager, Media Strategy, [email protected]
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