Principal Investigator

James Rutka is a paediatric neurosurgeon and Senior Scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children. Rutka is the former R.S. McLaughlin Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and is the Director of the BTRC.

Research Operations Manager

Christian has been working in the BTRC since 1999 and his current role is Research Operations Manager. He is also a published author and currently working on a novel and a screenplay. His professional life in the sciences began at the University of Guelph, where he studied molecular biology.

Tumour Biobank Manager

Andrew manages the Brain Tumour Biobank at the BTRC. This biological sample repository provides specimens that help principal investigators uncover targetable genetic alterations in brain tumours. He also chairs the Association of Research Technology Professionals.

Medical Illustrator

Stacey earned her Master of Science in Biomedical Communications at the University of Toronto in 2015, one of only four internationally accredited programs of its kind. She is the first in-house medical illustrator for the Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre and the Division of Neurosurgery at SickKids.

Administrative Coordinator

Alison is the Administrative Coordinator for the Cell Biology Program at SickKids. She’s been working at SickKids for about five years, supporting four Senior Scientists and their lab’s within the program and the BTRC. Alison was born and raised in Toronto and enjoys trying out new food spots around the city.

Postdoctoral fellow

Olga is a Postdoctoral Fellow with a research focus on pediatric leptomeningeal metastasis. Her work investigates the metabolic dependencies that support tumour survival and dissemination within the leptomeningeal space, with an emphasis on identifying therapeutic vulnerabilities.

PhD Candidate

Catherine is a current PhD student in the Rutka Lab. She did her undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto, double majoring in Neuroscience and Immunology with a minor in Psychology. Her project focuses on application of magnetic-resonance guided focused ultrasound in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.

Research Fellow

My path in research began at the University of Guelph where I received my PhD in neuroscience. There, I investigated the effects of environmental enrichment on behavioural and cognitive performances in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models. I started volunteering in Dr. Rutka’s lab during my PhD, where I was introduced to cancer research which led me to apply for a research position in the lab.

Research Fellow

Yuhei Takido is a Research Fellow in the Rutka Lab. He is a Japan-trained neurosurgeon and earned his PhD from Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine. His research interests include tumour metabolism and approaches that enhance therapeutic delivery to the brain.

Research Summer Student

Calista Bordonali is a third-year undergraduate student at Queen’s University pursuing a Bachelor of Life Sciences degree. She joined the Rutka Lab as a SickKids Summer Research (SSuRe) student in the summer of 2026, where she contributes to pediatric brain tumour research.