For Frank and Janice Lochan, investing in neuroimaging research at Western is a way to turn their personal grief into hope.
Janice knows the devastating toll of neurodegenerative conditions firsthand. Generations of her family – including her mother and grandmother – lived with Huntington’s disease. The inherited disorder causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain, leading to severe physical, cognitive and emotional decline.
That heartache has also touched Frank’s life. His first wife was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a progressive brain disorder that causes severe changes in personality and behavior.
“We’ve gone through terrible losses,” said Janice. “We’ve come through them all and realized what we can do to help others – give back.”
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The couple is donating $4.1 million to advance the study of neurological disease, with a goal of improving daily life and long-term outcomes for families like theirs.
Their gift – combined with matching funds from Western – will establish the $8-million endowed Frank and Janice Lochan Chair in Neuroimaging for Brain Health in Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. The chair will strengthen Western’s ability to recruit leading researchers and advance innovative imaging techniques to better understand, detect and monitor neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s.
The gift also includes $100,000 to create the Lochan Postdoctoral Fellowship Fund in Neuroscience to support postdoctoral research within Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, using state-of-the-art imaging equipment to analyze complex brain imaging data.
“We are deeply grateful for the Lochans’ generosity stemming from their personal experiences with these devastating diseases,” said Western President Alan Shepard. “Their remarkable investment will enable Western researchers to pursue discoveries that will offer hope, improved quality of life, and better care for individuals affected by neurological diseases.”
An unrelenting sense of urgency shaped not only why the Oakville, Ont. couple chose to give, but when. After initially planning a more modest estate gift, they instead decided to make their largest donation now, while research momentum is building.
“We want our gift to be used now,” Frank said. “That will help people who are suffering feel they have supporters behind them.”
The donation will continue to foster Western’s pioneering work in imaging and neuroscience – accelerating discoveries that improve outcomes for patients and families, contributing to the university’s All in Campaign commitment to optimize health for all.
Urgency to accelerate brain disease research
Neurodegenerative diseases are a leading cause of disability in Canada, making scientific advances a lifeline for families. “All the worst things you can imagine are thrown together with Huntington’s disease, but we’ve come so far with promising research. If our giving can help accelerate progress towards new solutions, then it feels deeply worthwhile to give,” Janice said.Schulich Medicine & Dentistry leaders with donors Frank and Janice Lochan. (L to R) Vice dean (research and innovation) Robert Bartha, donor Frank Lochan, professor and neurophysicist Ravi Menon, donor Janice Lochan, Schulich Medicine & Dentistry dean John Yoo. (Megan Morris/Schulich Medicine & Dentistry)
World-leading neuroimaging at Western
Gifts like the Lochans’ are driving innovative research and solutions in neuroscience, infectious disease and personalized medicine at Western, including impactful exploration in core facilities such as the Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping (CFMM). The world-renowned hub for neuroimaging research is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Researchers at the CFMM use advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners to map how the brain develops in childhood, how it changes with healthy aging and what goes wrong in neurodegenerative and mental health disorders. The centre is now focused on next-generation high-field imaging, AI integration and the direct measurement of brain activity, with ambitions to expand its role as a national, open-access platform for brain research. It’s home to innovative equipment, including Canada’s most powerful MRI systems, which operates at a magnetic field strength of 15.2 Tesla, enabling brain imaging at unprecedented resolution. The scanner has accelerated interdisciplinary neuroscience research on neurological disorders and treatments. “Understanding and developing new advanced imaging methods to visualize the complex biological changes in the brain caused by neurodegenerative disease is critical to earlier diagnosis, tracking and the future advancement of more effective, personalized treatments,” said Robert Bartha, vice-dean (research and innovation) at Schulich Medicine & DentistryDonor partnership advances Huntington’s disease research
The Lochans’ commitment to Western’s neuroimaging work was cemented after a meeting with Bartha and a tour of the research facilities. It was one of several encounters that left them feeling uplifted by the passion and drive of Western researchers.The Lochans were first involved in advancing Western’s research into Huntington’s disease in 2023, when they donated to help create the Huntington’s Society of Canada Research Chair at Western, held by biochemistry professor Patrick O’Donoghue. He is developing treatments for conditions that currently have no cure, by focusing on harnessing tRNA’s ability to reinterpret faulty genetic instructions. The research team in O’Donoghue’s lab hopes to transform disease-causing proteins into healthy ones, opening the door to personalized therapies for debilitating genetic diseases such as Huntington’s. Through the Lochans’ dedication to the Huntington Society of Canada, and Frank’s service on the boards of various health-care organizations, they came to understand that many brain disorders share similar symptoms, risk factors and biological pathways. That insight – and the potential for discoveries across multiple diseases – deepened their belief in the power of neuroimaging. “We need to find what connects all these neurological disorders,” Frank said. “We think neuroimaging is the key to revealing which investigative avenues to pursue. Our hope is for research in one area to lead to treatments and cures for other diseases, too.” Learn more about how Western is optimizing health for all.“We couldn’t help but feel excited when we saw their excitement. It’s easy to get caught up in negativity these days, but being at Western opened up the sunshine.” – Janice Lochan, donor to the Frank and Janice Lochan Chair in Neuroimaging for Brain Health
