Vanessa Goncalves PhD

Vanessa Goncalves received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Immunology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Brazil. She then moved to Toronto and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Molecular Brain Science Department, at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH; U of Toronto) where she is now a Project Scientist.

Dr. Gonçalves has a multidisciplinary background in genetics, molecular biology, statistics, and epidemiology. Her research interests lie in advancing research on the role of mitochondrial gene variants in the risk for, and phenomenology of, neuropsychiatric disorders. Her research portfolio also includes pharmacogenetic studies focusing on the mitochondrial system. Her findings are very translatable into important medical improvements, such as new biomarkers, reduced side effects/ medication failure, enhanced diagnostics, and better therapies for psychiatric patients.