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Faculty Focus - Tom Schweizer

Tom Schweizer, PhD

Dr. Tom A. Schweizer is an alumnus of the University of Waterloo, where he obtained both an MASc. (2000) and Ph.D. (2004) in Behavioral Neuroscience. Following the completion of his Ph.D. in 2004, Dr. Schweizer undertook a three-year postdoctoral research fellowship in Cognitive Neuroscience with Dr. Donald T. Stuss at the Rotman Research Institute: Baycrest Hospital. During this time, Dr. Schweizer became an Associate Scientist at the Center for Stroke Recovery: Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation, a position he continues to hold to this day. In 2007, Dr. Schweizer joined the staff of St. Michael’s Hospital as a research scientist working within the Division of Neurosurgery, and, five years later (2012), he was appointed as Director of the Neuroscience Research Program at the same institution. Dr. Schweizer's research has primarily focused on cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging, especially in terms of how neurocognitive systems dysfunction following brain damage, and how such deficits can be detected using various imaging protocols. In addition to his research pursuits, Dr. Schweizer is an Assistant Professor for the Division of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto and an adjunct assistant professor for the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo.

Current Appointments

  • Assistant Professor (primary appointment), Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto
  • Assistant Professor (cross-appointment), Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto
  • Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, University of Waterloo
  • Director, Neuroscience Research Program, St. Michael’s Hospital
  • Scientist, Keenan Research Centre of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital
  • Associate Scientist, Centre for Stroke Recovery, Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation
  • Full Member, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto

Selected Distinctions

  • Early Researcher Award, Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, 2011-16
  • New Investigator Award, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 2011-16
  • The Cynthia Lynn Sherwin Chair of Research Award, The Brain Aneurysm Foundation USA, 2009-10

Selected Peer-Reviewed Funding

  • Alzheimer Society, Alzheimer Society Research Program, 2014-2016.
    Driving in AD and MCI: An immersive fMRI study .
    PI: Schweizer TA
    $149,926
  • Canadian Institute for Health Research, Catalyst Grant, 2014-2016.
    Neuroimaging Correlates of Delusions in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias .
    PI: Fischer C, Millikin C, Ismail Z, Schweizer TA
    $98,390
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2014-2015.
    Driving and the aging brain: an fMRI study.
    PI: Schweizer TA
    $114,553
  • Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 2013-2014.
    Understanding Post-Stroke Driving Capacity: an fMRI Driving Simulator Study.
    PI: Schweizer TA
    $113,770
  • Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 2012-2014.
    White matter injury and cognitive outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
    PI: Schweizer TA
    $142,642
  • Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, Early Researcher Award, 2011-2016.
    Improving assessment and outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
    PI: Schweizer TA
    $150,000
  • MaRS Innovation Grant, 2011-2013.
    Tablet Technology for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Brain Activity: Improved Neurosurgical Planning of Brain Tumours.
    PI: Schweizer TA, Graham, S.
    $150,000

Selected Publications

  • Schweizer TA , Macdonald RL. The Behavioural Consequences of Stroke. Springer, USA. 2014.
  • Jaja BN, Attalla D, Macdonald RL, Schweizer TA , Cusimano MD, Etminan N, Hanggi D, Hasan D, Johnston SC, Le Roux P, Lo B, Louffat-Olivares A, Mayer S, Molyneux A, Noble A, Quinn A, Schenk T, Spears J, Singh J, Todd M, Torner J, Tseng M, van den Bergh W, Vergouwen MD, Wong GK. The Subarachnoid Hemorrhage International Trialists (SAHIT) Repository: Advancing Clinical Research in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage. Neurocrit Care. 2014 May 28.
  • Hird MA, Vetivelu A, Saposnik G, Schweizer TA. Cognitive, on-road, and simulator-based driving assessment after stroke. The Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases. 2014. In Press.
  • Ladowski D, Qian W, Kapadia AN, Macdonald RL, Schweizer TA. Effect of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage on word generation. Behav Neurol. 2014;2014:610868.
  • Hutchison MG, Schweizer TA Tam F, Graham SJ, Comper P. FMRI and brain activation after sport concussion: a tale of two cases. Front Neurol. 2014 Apr; 14(5):46.
  • Fischer CE, Schweizer TA. How does speaking another language reduce the risk of dementia? Expert Rev Neurother. 2014 May;14(5):469-71.
  • Bahrami P, Graham SJ, Grantcharov TP, Cusimano MD, Rotstein OD, Mansur A, Schweizer TA Neuroanatomical correlates of laparoscopic surgery training. Surg Endosc. 2014 Feb 26.
  • Maher ME, Hutchison M, Cusimano M, Comper P, Schweizer TA. Concussions and heading in soccer: a review of the evidence of incidence, mechanisms, biomarkers and neurocognitive outcomes. Brain Inj. 2014;28(3):271-85.
  • Al-Khindi T, Macdonald RL, Schweizer TA. Decision-making deficits persist after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Neuropsychology. 2014 Jan;28(1):68-74.
  • Schweizer TA, Li Z, Fischer C, Alexander M, Smith S, Graham S, Fornazzari L. From the Thalamus with Love: A Rare Window into the Locus of Emotional Synesthesia. Neurology. 2013 Jul 30;81(5):509-10.
  • Sheldon S, Macdonald RL, Cusimano M, Spears J, Schweizer TA. Long-term consequences of subarachnoid hemorrhage: examining working memory. J Neurol Sci. 2013 Sep 15;332(1-2):145-7.
  • Schweizer TA, Kan K, Hung Y, Tam F, Naglie G, Graham SJ. Brain activity during driving with distraction: an immersive fMRI study. Front Hum Neurosci. 2013 Feb 28;7:53.
  • Schweizer TA, Macdonald RL. Assessing outcome after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Nature Reviews Neurology. 2010 Aug;6(8):427-428.
  • Cantelmi D, Schweizer TA, Cusimano M. Role of the cerebellum in the neurocognitive sequelae of treatment of tumours of the posterior fossa: An update. Lancet Oncology. 2008; 9(6), 569-576.

Selected Professional Appointments

  • Co-Chair, Neuroscience Research Rounds, St. Michael’s Hospital (2013 - present).
  • Member, Executive Committee, Neuroscience and Brain Health Network, University of Toronto (January 2014 - present).
  • Member, 3T Research MRI Organizational Committee, St. Michael’s Hospital (April 2014 - present).
  • Member, Publication Committee, Ontario Brain Institute-Ontario Neurodegenerative Disease Research Initiative (April 2014 - present)