About Us - Synaptitude Brain Health

Synaptitude Brain Health Inc. is a brain health company based in Vancouver, BC. Co-founded by UBC scientists, Synaptitude aims to bring revolutionary advances in brain research to the general public for the benefit of human brain health. We combine sophisticated research and technical analyses to provide our clients with the most comprehensive brain health assessments and brain fitness programs. Join us in this venture of science and knowledge.

Executive Team

Dr. Cynader is a renowned researcher at the University of British Columbia’s Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health and Canadian Medical Hall of Fame laureate. His many achievements include the Order of Canada, Order of British Columbia, Researcher of the Year from Life Sciences BC, Science and Technology Champion award by Innovation BC, Canada Research Chair, Gold Medal in Health Sciences, Killam Research Prize and E.W.R. Steacie Fellowship. He is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Canada and The Canadian Academy for Health Sciences and a Principal Investigator in Canada’s Network of Excellence in Stroke.

Dr. Liu-Ambrose is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia and holds the Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity, Mobility, and Cognitive Neuroscience. She has been a pioneer in showing how various interventions can improve brain health and alter the trajectory of cognitive aging. Her research has contributed to the understanding of how various interventions may benefit brain health.

Dr. MacKay is a physicist with appointments as a Professor in the departments of Radiology and Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He holds BSc, MSc and DPhil degrees from Dalhousie, UBC and the University of Oxford. He is the Director of the UBC Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research Centre which operates a whole body 3T MR and a small bore 7T MR. His research program involves the development of magnetic resonance techniques for investigation of pathological processes in human brain. His research group is best known for pioneering the myelin water imaging technique which non-invasively measures brain myelin content in humans.

Dr. Vilariño-Güell is the Director of the Next Generation Sequencing Centre located within the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health at the University of British Columbia. He is also an Assistant Professor and holds a Canada Research Chair. He has dedicated his career to define the role of genetics in neurological diseases and brain function. His research has successfully identified genes, mutations and biological pathways implicated in the regulation of brain activity which, when impaired, results in neurological dysfunction and disease. Recent advances in sequencing technologies have provided greater insight into the role of an individual’s genetic makeup in brain health. His Next Generation Sequencing Centre has decoded the personal genome from hundreds of individuals in order to define the biology of successful and efficient brain function.

Development Team

Hi I’m Joel! I am a full-stack developer at synaptitude and principally responsible for our backend, API and third party integrations. Educated as a Physicist, I am in my element harnessing data analytics to tackle complex problems. I am particularly excited to help our clients uncover the hidden insights of their brain health within their lifestyle data. When I’m not at the command line I can be found running, playing board games or windsurfing.

My responsbilities include managing the day-to-day business operations, assisting in the development of our brain health programs, coordinating our premium program, developing budgets, engaging with clients, and managing our academic collaborations. As a neuroscientist, I appreciate the opportunity to educate individuals about the importance of brain health and promote healthy brain aging through evidence-based practices. As our clients adopt brain-healthy lifestyles, I am privileged to hear about the difference we make in their lives.

I am a full-stack software developer, primarily responsible for the design and implementation of Synaptitude’s conversational agent that serves as a Brain Health coach. I hold a Master’s degree in Computer Science and love to collect and analyze data to gain interesting insights. I am passionate about exploring and learning Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to help customers in their day-to-day brain health journey. I enjoy reading, listening to music but can also be found travelling around the world.

Questions? Contact us to request more information.

Scientific Advisory Board

John Fleming, MD

Dr. Fleming is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia. He was also the former Co-Director of the Sleep Disorders Program at the UBC Hospital and the Associate Head for Education in the UBC Department of Psychiatry.

David Ostrow, MD

Dr. Ostrow is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, the founding Medical Director of the BC Transplant Society/Vancouver General Hospital Lung Transplant Program and the former President and CEO of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.

Robert McMaster, MD

Dr. McMaster is a Professor in the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia, the Associate Dean of Research in the UBC Faculty of Medicine, Executive Director at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and Vice-President of Research at the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.

Executive Team

Dr. Max Cynader

Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose

Dr. Alexander MacKay

Dr. Carles Vilariño-Güell

Development Team

Joel Russell, M.Sc.

Trecia Brown, PhD (Neuroscience)

Kirti Agarwal

Questions? Contact us to request more information.

Scientific Advisory Board

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