by Dr. Mingyao Liu

For the first time in several years, we have been able to reflect on the year behind us and appreciate how balanced it has been. Most remaining COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, and we were able to gather with family, friends, and colleagues without feeling overwhelming anxiety. As we look forward to 2024, I am hopeful that the new year will offer even more opportunities for growth and prosperity, within and beyond health. 

Well-being takes many forms, so it is fitting that the Winter 2024 issue of the IMS Magazine highlights advances in Complementary Therapies and Alternative Medicine. This issue features faculty that are thinking of innovative, creative solutions to health and disease in order to fill unmet needs from traditional treatments. Dr. Joshua Rosenblat and his team are investigating how to effectively use ketamine to improve the lives of patients with treatment-resistant depression and bipolar disorder. We also hear from Dr. Ishrat Husain, who is studying how to use the psychedelic psylocibin for treatment-resistant depression and how to approach using this therapy in settings where patients have comorbid conditions or come from a low-income country where treatment specialists may not be readily available. Dr. Benjamin Goldstein has taken his knowledge of the connection between the vascular system and mental illness to investigate the use of exercise therapy to treat adolescents with bipolar disorder. Lastly, we hear from Dr. Hsiang-Yuan Lin, who is studying numerous alternative approaches to treating developmental disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, including psychedelics and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. 

In-line with the theme of unique and alternative opportunities, this issue also puts the spotlight on Dr. Andrea Tyler, an IMS alumnus and current Chief of Computational Biology at Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory. Dr. Tyler shares how her education provided her with the skills needed to work in the public health sector, where she studies the genetic composition of pathogens to understand their mechanisms of action. We also welcomed our new IMS students this Fall at our Orientation, and this issue shares the highlights of the event. 

I would like to thank the IMS Magazine’s new Editors-in-Chief, Kyla and Iciar, for their work directing this issue – hopefully their first of many. As always, I also extend my sincere appreciation to the journalists, editors, photographers, and design team for their contributions to this Winter 2024 issue. I hope you enjoy reading about the exciting advancements in alternative medicine, and that the hope associated with these therapies brings forth a sense of optimism to start the New Year.

Sincerely, 

Dr. Mingyao Liu

Director, Institute of Medical Science