Nir Lipsman, MD, PhD, FRCSC, a neurosurgeon and scientist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center and Sunnybrook Research Institute, is this year’s recipient of the Ferenc Jolesz Memorial Award.
The award was established in 2016 to honor the life of Ferenc Jolesz, a true pioneer in focused ultrasound. It is intended to recognize and encourage this same innovative spirit in mid-career researchers and clinicians who continue to advance focused ultrasound.
Dr. Lipsman is currently the Director of Sunnybrook’s Harquail Center for Neuromodulation, and the Clinical Director of Sunnybrook’s Focused Ultrasound Centre of Excellence. He also serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto.
Over the last 10 years, Dr. Lipsman has pioneered several clinical applications of MR-guided focused ultrasound in novel indications, including essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and major depression. He has also initiated critical research investigating focused ultrasound’s ability to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier in patients with a variety of debilitating diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, and primary and secondary brain tumors.
“It’s an incredible honor to receive this award in Dr. Jolesz’ name, a giant and pioneer in the focused ultrasound field,” said Dr. Lipsman. “I share it with the amazing team at Sunnybrook and all our collaborators, without whom none of this exciting work would be possible.”
Dr. Lipsman received his undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto. He went on to earn his medical degree from Queen’s University and completed a neurosurgical residency and PhD at the University of Toronto.
The Ferenc Jolesz Memorial Award is supported by Insightec and presented at the Foundation’s biennial Symposium. Dr. Lipsman will formally accept the award, which includes a $5,000 cash prize, and present his research at the 7th International Symposium on Focused Ultrasound, to be held virtually November 9-13, 2020.
Previous Jolesz Award recipients have included Seung-Schik Yoo, PhD, MBA (2018) and Nathan McDannold, PhD (2016).