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Announcement: Taylor Schmitz, PhD, appointed Cecil and Linda Rorabeck Chair in Molecular Neuroscience and Vascular Biology
Office of the Dean
I am pleased to announce that Taylor Schmitz, PhD, has been appointed as the Cecil and Linda Rorabeck Chair in Molecular Neuroscience and Vascular Biology at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, effective August 1, 2025 to July 30, 2030.
The Cecil and Linda Rorabeck Chair in Molecular Neuroscience and Vascular Biology is dedicated to leading a research program aimed at supporting operations and advancing the research mission and culture in diseases at the intersection of neuroscience, brain aging, and vascular health.
Dr. Schmitz received his PhD in Psychology from the University of Toronto. He held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Cambridge and McGill. In 2019, he joined Western University as an adjunct professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, focusing on research. In 2021, he was appointed Assistant Professor in the same department.
He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the J.A.F. Stevenson Early Career Investigator Award (2025), Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Dean’s Award of Excellence in Research and Innovation – Early Career Investigator (2024) and the Ontario Early Researcher Award (2023).
As Rorabeck Chair, Dr. Schmitz will lead an interdisciplinary research program uncovering the molecular and systems-level mechanisms that contribute to resilient brain aging, with a focus on cholinergic regulation of synaptic function, neurovascular dynamics, and neuroimmune interactions. Over the next decade, he plans to expand these efforts through institutional, national, and international partnerships to identify early, modifiable biomarkers of vulnerability and resilience and to advance multimodal intervention strategies for neurodegenerative diseases.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Schmitz on his appointment.
John Yoo, MD, FRCS(C), FACS
Dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Western University