Thank- you to Dr. Oury Monchi

The Hotchkiss Brain Institute would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Oury Monchi, PhD, for his many contributions to the research and growth of the Movement Disorders team at the institute. From 2014 to 2021 Dr. Monchi led the Movement Disorders team and during this time, he also held both the Tourmaline Chair and the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease.

While leading the movement disorders team at HBI, Dr. Monchi had many remarkable achievements with profound impact in the field of movement disorders research. Of note, he initiated the Canadian Open Parkinson's Network (C-OPN), which is a pan-Canada initiative bridging people, data, and resources to accelerate Parkinson’s disease discoveries. C-OPN officially launched in June of 2020 with funding from Brain Canada. Dr. Monchi also began the Calgary Parkinson's Research Initiative (CaPRI). Beginning in 2017 with a foundational gift from Mike Smith and Jenn Brenner, CaPRI is a research network that drives the University of Calgary as a leader in basic and clinical research in the field of Parkinson’s disease and related disorders.

During his time with HBI and CaPRI, Dr. Monchi was the first to identify distinct regional brain networks associated with two different cognitive syndromes in Parkinson’s disease. This work was published in Movement Disorders in conjunction with Dr. Stefan Lang, who was a Ph.D. student at the time.

A second prominent research highlight, published in Neurology in collaboration with Dr. Zahinoor Ismail, showed for the first time that a rapid questionnaire - the Mild Behavioral Impairment-Checklist -  could assess subtle changes in mood or personality in people older than 50. These subtle changes are linked to cognitive deficits and brain structural changes in Parkinson’s disease. 

The HBI congratulates Dr. Monchi in taking his next strides with his research as the new Scientific director, Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal. He will also hold the title of Professor, Département de radiologie, radio-oncologie et médecine nucléaire, Université de Montréal. We wish him all the best, and thank him for the amazing contributions to HBI and to research in movement disorders.