Dr. Michael Salter appointed Chief of Research at SickKids

Following an extensive international search, Dr. Michael Salter has been appointed Chief of Research at SickKids. Salter will assume his new responsibilities as Chief of Research on July 1, 2015 following Dr. Janet Rossant’s completion of her 10-year term.

Salter is a world-leading neuroscientist who has made pioneering contributions to our understanding of the fundamental molecular and cellular mechanisms of normal and pathological neuroplasticity. He has been a member of the SickKids Research Institute since joining as a Scientist in 1989, holding a number of progressive leadership positions since that time, including Head of the Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health from 2006 to present and Associate Chief, Science Strategy and Commercialization from 2010 to present. Since 1999, Salter has been a Professor in the Department of Physiology, the Institute of Medical Sciences and the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Toronto.

“I am very excited to have Mike join the SickKids executive team as Chief of Research,” says Dr. Mike Apkon, SickKids President and CEO. “His scientific, organizational and people leadership skills will continue to mobilize our research enterprise to new levels of international success and integration with our clinical environment, resulting in greater health outcomes for our children and families.”
In 1997, Salter demonstrated his commitment to scientific leadership by establishing the University of Toronto Centre for the Study of Pain (UTCSP). As the centre’s Director, Salter drove and oversaw the strategic plan for the UTCSP, its programs and activities. He led the centre through a successful renewal in 2008, where it received a stellar review from an international review panel. His scientific leadership expertise is regularly sought out by many organizations around the world and has resulted in numerous board appointments and committee memberships. To further amplify Salter’s scientific achievements, he has co-founded two biotech companies devoted to developing novel drug treatments.

Salter holds an MD from the University of Western Ontario and a PhD in Physiology from McGill University. He holds a Canada Research Chair (Tier I) in Neuroplasticity and Pain, and is the Anne and Max Tanenbaum Chair in Molecular Medicine at SickKids. He has received numerous awards, including the John Charles Polyani Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the Distinguished Career Investigator Award of the Canadian Pain Society, and was an International Research Scholar of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and his work regularly appears in elite journals, including Nature, Science, Cell, Nature Medicine and Neuron.

Learn more about Dr. Michael Salter’s research interests.