These include the Douglas Hospital's schizophrenia research unit and the Montreal Neurological Institute. Dr. Joel Paris, acting chair of the Department of Psychiatry, says the Boeckh family's donation gives the field a much-needed boost. He hopes to have a world-renowned scientist filling the chair by September. That person could have expertise in genetics, neurobiology or brain development. Genetic research shows that schizophrenia is based on a genetic predisposition for the disease.
Neurobiology tries to determine how a schizophrenic brain differs from a normal one.
A brain development specialist could pursue one of the major theories in the field that suggests schizophrenia may be due to the way the brain develops at the embryonic stage. But he knows it will be expensive. He hopes the establishment of the chair will lead to more funding from other sources such as government grants. Considering the number of people affected by mental illness, the amount of research dollars allocated to it lags behind other diseases, he says. He's quick to applaud the Boeckhs' efforts.