Dr. Fawcett obtained his PhD in developmental neurobiology at the Montreal Neurological Institute,
McGill
University
, and did his postdoctoral work in the laboratory of Dr. Tony Pawson at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute in
Toronto
. Dr. Fawcett’s laboratory is interested in developmental neurobiology with an emphasis on intracellular signaling mechanisms underlying axon guidance and repair. His lab studies molecules and signaling mechanisms that underlie the development of a neuron, the fundamental unit of the nervous system. In particular, Dr Fawcett is trying to determine how a neuron forms an axon, the long process of a nerve fiber that conducts impulses away from the body of the nerve cell, and dendrites, the extensions of a neuron that conduct impulses from adjacent cells toward the cell body. Understanding these basic developmental processes is important if we are to understand mechanisms of brain and spinal cord repair following damage to the central nervous system.
Dr. Fawcett’s primary appointment is in the Department of Pharmacology. He also holds a secondary appointment in the Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery. Dr. Fawcett joined the Brain Repair Centre team in 2006.
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information about the Canada Research Chairs Program can
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