The Dalglish Family 22q Clinic

Dr. Nikolai Gil D. Reyes is a movement disorders neurologist who is pursuing graduate studies at our Clinic. Dr. Reyes is the recipient of a 2024 Young Investigator Grant from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) that will help support his research.

It is increasingly recognized that patients with 22q can experience several types of movement disorders. These conditions can involve having too few or too many movements. Together with Dr. Bassett’s team at the Toronto General Hospital and Dr. Anthony Lang’s team at the Toronto Western Hospital, Dr. Reyes is identifying the various ways adults with 22q are experiencing movement disorders. He presented his early findings at the 13th Biennial International 22q11.2 Conference in Óbidos, Portugal in July. Dr. Reyes will be publishing his research work in several papers that are now under way.

Adults with 22q are at an increased risk of developing early-onset Parkinson’s disease, which is a treatable condition that is mainly characterized by motor symptoms. These symptoms include slowed movements, limb or body stiffness, tremor at rest, and trouble with balance and coordination, among others.

Dr. Reyes’ work aims to investigate potential genetic factors that affect the risk of Parkinson’s disease in individuals with 22q. This work promises to help those with 22q and other forms of movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease in the general population.

Dr. Anne Bassett and our Clinic team received Special Service Awards at the 13^th Biennial International 22q11.2 Scientific Meeting that took place from July 16^th to 18^th, 2024 in Óbidos, Portugal.

The Special Service Award was inaugurated in 2018 to commemorate the 20^th anniversary of the International 22q11.2 Society and to recognize the long-term dedication of a group. It has only been given once before, and is presented to a centre that demonstrates outstanding, longstanding, exemplary and unwavering commitment, and contributions to the chromosome 22q11.2 community.

This recognition reflects not only our clinical achievements but also our dedication to the broader 22q community. We are honoured to receive this international award, and we thank all of our patients and families for your support.

Dr. Erik Boot, Samantha D’Arcy, Lisa Palmer, and Dr. Anne Bassett received the Special Service Award on behalf of our whole team. The plaque is now on the wall of our Clinic!

One of our residents, Dr. Christina Blagojevic, was one of the three recipients of the Junior Investigator Award for the most outstanding presentation by a junior faculty member or trainee at The 13^th Biennial International 22q11.2 Conference in Óbidos, Portugal, in July, 2024. Our former graduate student, Ania Fiksinski, and our research analyst, Tracy Heung, received the same award in 2016 and 2018, respectively.

Christina gave two presentations at the 2024 conference:
Mortality and Age at Molecular Diagnosis in Adults with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome
Christina Blagojevic, Tracy Heung, Sarah L. Malecki, Sabrina Cancelliere, Maria Corral, Anne S. Bassett

Global Burden of Clinical Conditions in 405 Canadian Adults with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome
Christina Blagojevic, Tracy Heung, Sarah L. Malecki, Sabrina Cancelliere, Vikita Mehta, Brigid Conroy, Anne S. Bassett

Congratulations, Christina!

From left to right: Beata Nowakowska (Trustee of the 22q11.2 Society); Recipients of the Junior Investigator Award: Christina Blagojevic (2024), Daniella Miller (2024 & 2022), and Jente Verbesselt (2024); 2022 recipient Daniel McGinn

The 13^th Biennial International 22q11.2 Scientific Meeting recently took place from July 16^th to 18^th, 2024 in Óbidos, Portugal. Please check out the topics of the our presentations in the conference program.

Portugal 2024 Conference Program (Dalglish Clinic team members highlighted)

Congratulations to our team members who received the Top Presenter Award in each of their sessions:

• Lisa Palmer
• Sheng-jie Ying
• Nikolai Gil D Reyes
• Christina Blagojevic

Lisa Palmer and Joanne Loo were recognized for 10 years of service at UHN. Lisa is the Social Worker and Joanne is the Education and Communication Officer at the Dalglish Family 22q Clinic.

In addition, Dr. Susan George was recognized for 40 years of service. Dr. George is an endocrinologist at the Toronto General Hospital. She sees many of our patients for 22q11.2DS-related hormonal conditions such as thyroid disease and hypoparathyroidism (low calcium).

Congratulations!

Dr. Sarah Malecki is the recipient of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship in 2024. This prestigious scholarship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), awarded to only 55 individuals from across Canada, provides 3 years of support for PhD studies. Here is the official news release from the Government of Canada. Sarah’s project focuses on the Adult Impact of Complex Childhood-Onset Diseases ‒ featuring 22q as a key model.

Sarah has been working with Dr. Anne Bassett for several years. Together, they have published world-leading research findings on several important aspects related to adults with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. These include topics such as metabolic conditions (e.g., hypertriglyceridemia and type 2 diabetes), multimorbidity, aging and health care burden, and mortality. Most recently, Sarah led the publication of an important commentary for the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) that proposes a healthcare delivery model for adults with complex needs

Congratulations! Our Clinic Director, Dr. Anne Bassett, was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada on December 28^th, 2023. She was honoured “for her research and clinical contributions to advancing our understanding of the genetics of schizophrenia, particularly in the identification and characterization of genetic subtypes of the disorder”. This includes her three decades of clinical care of adults with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS, or “22q”), and her pioneering research to better understand this important genetic condition.

Dr. Bassett is the Dalglish Chair in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome, and the Director of the Dalglish Family 22q Clinic at the Toronto General Hospital. Our Clinic provides ongoing care that is devoted to adults with 22q11.2DS of any age, from late teens through older age ranges. Along with many other possible associated conditions, an adult with 22q is about 20 times more likely than someone in the general population to develop schizophrenia, a serious but treatable psychiatric illness. Our multi-disciplinary and family/caregiver approach focuses on anticipatory care tailored to the individual, and partnered with clinicians in the community. Our clinical research enables us to learn from our patients their families, so that we can apply the new knowledge gained as we move forward. The aim is to help adults with 22q achieve the best health and quality of life possible.

We are very excited that Dr. Bassett’s contributions are being recognized by this special honour!

More information

• Order of Canada
  • Official Announcement on December 28^th, 2023
  • List of Appointees
• U of T News
• UHN News

Emily Tjan, our Master’s Student in Biomedical Communications, is a recipient of a 2023 Vesalius Trust Research Grant. The Vesalius Trust provides grant funding to students enrolled in medical illustration programs and who have completed one year of the curriculum. These competitive grants are awarded annually and help fund the students’ research projects and masters’ theses.

For her Masters Research Project, Emily is working with Dr. Bassett and The Dalglish Family 22q Clinic team to create a patient-centred animation to help patients with 22q and their caregivers better understand 22q.

Congratulations, Emily!

Congratulations to Dr. Anthony Lang, who received the 2022 Margolese National Brain Disorders Prize from University of British Columbia. This prize is awarded annually to a Canadian physician or scientist who makes outstanding contributions to the treatment, amelioration, or cure of brain disorders. Dr. Anthony Lang is the Lily Safra Chair in Movement Disorders at the University Health Network (UHN) and a global leader in Parkinson’s disease research. We are very glad that he also works closely with our patients as well.

Congratulations to Adonis Ng, who conducted research with us during his undergraduate years, for receiving the International Society for Adult Congenital Heart Disease Professional Research Award, presented by Dr Oechslin. The award recognizes innovative and outstanding research that results in important insights into the causes, mechanisms, treatments, or outcomes in adults with congenital heart disease.

Adonis’s project title was Incidence of infective endocarditis in adults with congenital heart disease and diagnosed 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. He presented the findings at the International Symposium on Adult Congenital Heart Disease, an online meeting that took place on October 13^th, 2021.

Congratulations! Our Clinic Director, Dr. Anne Bassett, received the 2022 Institute of Medical Science Faculty Recognition Award for Strong Mentorship. This faculty recognition award is presented to IMS faculty members for their strong contribution to graduate mentorship over 5 years.

The graduate supervisor and members of a student’s Program Advisory Committee are the most influential persons in a graduate student’s program. It requires great responsibility, patience, and commitment to mentor each graduate student. From creating learning opportunities, to guiding thesis writing, and providing ongoing encouragement, the faculty members are essential to the academic success of these students.

Our Masters student, Shengjie Ying, has received a 2021 School of Graduate Studies (SGS) Conference Grant, to add to his collection of 2021 awards!

Dr. Sarah Malecki, a resident in Internal Medicine, is the recipient of a 2022 Physicians’ Services Incorporated Foundation Resident Research Grant ($30,000) - her very own operating grant for her ICES study of 22q11.2DS!

Congratulations to Shengjie and Sarah!

Congratulations to Shengjie Ying, who is the 2021 recipient of the Joseph Wong Memorial Graduate Award from the Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto.

Shengjie is a Master’s student under the supervision of Dr. Anne Bassett, conducting research on the genetic causes of schizophrenia. His research uses genome sequencing data to understand why a genetic condition called 22q11.2 deletion syndrome causes a 20-fold increase in risk for schizophrenia. They hope that by solving this puzzle, their research will be able to provide a foundation for developing effective therapeutics to treat schizophrenia and other psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Archive of all award-related posts 2011 to 2020

National Honours

• 2020 – Dr. Susan George – Order of Canada

Major Achievement Awards and Recognitions

• 2020 - Dr. Anne Bassett - Lieber Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Schizophrenia Research
• 2020 - Dr. Anthony Lang - Lifetime Achievement Award, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
• 2019 - Dr. Susan George - Prix Galien 2019 Canada Research Award
• 2018 - Dr. Anthony E. Lang - Weston Brain Institute International Outstanding Achievement Award
• 2015 – Dr. Erik Boot – McLaughlin Early Career Investigator Award, World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics
• 2014 – Dr. Anthony Lang – Named a highly influential biomedical researcher by the European Journal of Clinical Investigation

22q-Related Awards

• 2018 – Tracy Heung – Junior Investigator Award, The 22q11.2 Society
• 2016 – Ania Fiksinski – Junior Investigator Award, The 22q11.2 Society
• 2014 – Dr. Anne Bassett – Angelo DiGeorge Memorial Medal, The 9th Biennial International 22q11.2 Syndrome Meeting

Long Service and Faculty Awards

• 2019 - Lisa Palmer and Joanne Loo - Recognized for 5 years of service at UHN
• 2017 – Dr. Anne Bassett - Mel Silverman Mentorship Award, Institute of Medical Science (IMS), University of Toronto
• 2014 – Dr. Anne Bassett - 25 Year Service Award, University of Toronto

Awards for Trainees

• 2019 - Ania Fiksinski - Strategic Network Development Award, UMC Utrecht Internationalization Committee Grant
• 2019 - Dr. Erik Boot - Travel Grant, Society for the Study of Behavioural Phenotypes (SSBP)
• 2017-18 – Dr. Elemi Breetvelt – Fellow Research Award, Centre for Mental Health, UHN
• 2016-17 – Dr. Elemi Breetvelt – Fellow Research Award, Centre for Mental Health, UHN
• 2015-16 – Dr. Erik Boot – Fellow Research Award, Centre for Mental Health, UHN
• 2015-16 – Dr. Erik Boot – Fellowship Travel Award, Centre for Mental Health, UHN
• 2015-16 – Dr. Erik Boot – Max Alexandroff Award, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto
• 2014-15 – Dr. Erik Boot – Fellow Research Award, Centre for Mental Health, UHN