Colleen Dockstader

Dr. Dockstader received both her B.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. During her Ph.D. she worked in the Dept of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, and investigated the neurobiology of addiction in genetic mouse models. During her Postdoctoral term she worked in the Neurosciences and Mental Health Program at The Hospital for Sick Children where, using neuroimaging techniques, she examined the neurobiological underpinnings of patients with ADHD and OCD.  Following that, she took a research position in which she spent six years developing and leading a multimodal neuroimaging research study for SickKids’ Paediatric Brain Tumour program.  In this position, using Magnetoencephalography and MRI/Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Dr. Dockstader sought to determine the neurobiological changes that occurred in children who had been treated with cranial radiation for brain tumours. In 2015 Dr. Dockstader joined the HMB program and became full-time, teaching-stream Faculty.  Dr. Dockstader’s bench-to-bedside research experience is the foundation of her HMB teaching.  Based on her experience she developed three new HMB courses that focus on clinical research: HMB450H1, JHA410H1, HMB442H1; as well as the “HMB Lab Bootcamp” which provides experiential opportunities in wet lab research.  She sincerely hopes that students find her courses engaging and inspiring, while cultivating real-world skills and a sense of community.