Empowering MRI across the GTA

With a passionate interest in the Slaight Family Centre for Advanced MRI at Toronto Western Hospital (TWH), Michael and Sonja Koerner are long-time friends of UHN, and enthusiastic supporters of Dr. Kamil Uludag.

Renowned for his expertise in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Dr. Uludag is a Senior Research Scientist at the Techna Institute, UHN, and cross-appointed to the Joint Department of Medical Imaging and UHN’s Krembil Brain Institute. He is also Senior Fellow of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

In their latest of show of remarkable support, the Koerners have donated $1 million through the Michael and Sonja Koerner Charitable Foundation to support Dr. Uludag’s MRI research team.

“I am incredibly excited about what Michael and Sonja Koerner are making possible,” says Dr. Uludag. “Their generosity is enabling me to spearhead an exciting new hospital initiative, one that will employ the best possible use of MRI technology and bridge the gap between research and care.”

MRI scanners provide invaluable images of the body through a large magnet and radio waves, enabling physicians to plan best possible courses of treatment. At the Slaight Family Centre for Advanced MRI, Dr. Uludag and his team use MRIs to evaluate, diagnose and monitor several conditions that affect the brain and other structures in the head.

Sonja and Michael Koerner enabled the recruitment of Dr. Uludag by establishing the Koerner Scientist Fund. Following his arrival in 2018, he oversaw the opening of the Slaight Family Centre for Advanced MRI, and the launch of pioneering MRI techniques with the arrival of several leading-edge MRI scanners. In addition, Dr. Uludag’s efforts have led to the establishment of an exceptional 12-member research team – the Brain Research in Advanced Imaging and Neuromodeling – Toronto (BRAIN-TO) lab – who collaborate on how to best utilize MR technology.

Finally, not only is Dr. Uludag one of the few scientists in the GTA involved in MRI development, he is also Toronto’s sole expert in 7-Tesla (7T) MRI technology, a technique offering the sharpest possible images of the brain and central nervous system. Dr. Uludag has thus been appointed as Scientific Director of an upcoming 7T human MRI scanner, and has been nominated to the Canada Research Chair Tier 1 – a unique position shared between UHN and Sunnybrook Research Institute due to Dr. Uludag’s expertise.

MRI resources remain stretched thin across Toronto, particularly with the need to find answers regarding neurological diseases. Dr. Uludag is focused on changing that.

“With the help of Michael and Sonja Koerner, we will address a lack of resources by developing a neuroimaging alliance across the GTA,” says Dr. Uludag. “Through this collaboration, academic hospitals will be UHNITED in sharing MRI expertise, research and clinical data.”

Alongside UHN, the hospital alliance will include the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Research efforts will be harmonized across all three institutions, with MRI technology used in parallel with innovative processes such as artificial intelligence. Ultimately, other city hospitals will be invited to join, enabling even further breakthroughs.

“We are thrilled to see the advancements of Dr. Uludag and his team since his arrival at UHN,” says Michael Koerner. “This new alliance promises to make possible what has never been done before across Toronto’s MRI research landscape.”