While it’s always an honor to be celebrated for one’s achievements by one’s peers, it’s especially meaningful to be recognized by the people who knew you when you were just starting your scientific studies. That’s the case with Todd Constable, PhD, professor of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging and of Neurosurgery, who is the recipient of the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award from The University of Winnipeg, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where Constable, a proud Canadian-American, hails.
Constable will be honored at The University of Winnipeg’s 2019 Spring Convocation on June 13. "I’m very delighted to receive this honor. The University of Winnipeg provided me a solid background in physics and math as well as psychology, and those studies provided the foundation for the multidisciplinary work I do today. I really enjoyed my years at the UofW,” Constable said.
Following his 1984 graduation with a bachelor of science in physics, Constable earned a master of science in medical physics at the University of Manitoba, followed by a doctorate in medical biophysics at the University of Toronto. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in diagnostic radiology at Yale University.
Since 2001, Constable has been director of MRI Research in the Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, and co-director of the department’s Magnetic Resonance Research Center. His research focuses on developing and validating new approaches to functional magnetic resonance imaging, and using those methods to improve the understanding of brain function.
Constable is widely recognized as a foremost contributor to the development of magnetic resonance imaging and its use in understanding the functional organization of the brain with applications across a range of illnesses. He has contributed to the identification and understanding of the neural bases of epilepsy, addiction, patterns of brain development in infancy and childhood, children’s health, diabetes, resilience, and autism.
He left with the skills needed to do science, to create knowledge
The University of Winnipeg Dean Emeritus Michael McIntyre
“We are very pleased to honor Todd Constable for his substantial contributions to medical science, including his devotion to researching new ways of understanding illnesses that affect quality of life,” said Charles Beckley, president of The University of Winnipeg’s Alumni Association. “He is a talented, generous scientist and mentor who is using his skills and passion to make a positive impact.”
“He left with the skills needed to do science, to create knowledge,” The University of Winnipeg’s Dean Emeritus Michael McIntyre said in nominating Constable for the award. “In doing so, he stands as an exemplar of The University of Winnipeg’s founding values, and as a scientist of worldwide impact.”