Karim Fouad, PhD
Contact
Professor, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine - Physical Therapy
- kfouad@ualberta.ca
- Phone
- (780) 492-5971
- Address
-
387 Corbett (E.A.) Hall
8205 - 114 St NWEdmonton ABT6G 2G4
Overview
About
Scientific Career:
2018-present: Co-Director, Open Data Commons for Spinal Cord Injury
2016-2023: Canada Research Chair for Spinal Cord Injury (Tier1)
2015-2017: Co-Director, Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute
2008-present: Full Professor
2007-2014: Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, Senior Scholar
2007-2008: Associate Professor, Alberta Heritage Foundation Senior Scholar
2005-2007: Associate Professor, Alberta Heritage Foundation Scholar
2001-2005: Assistant Professor, Alberta Heritage Foundation Scholar
Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
1997-2001: Research Associate, Brain Research Institute, University and ETH Zürich,
1995-1997: Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Alberta
1995: Post-Doctoral Researcher, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University, Israel
1991-1995: Ph.D. (Neuroscience), University of Konstanz, Germany
1986-1991: Diploma (Biology), University of Konstanz, Germany
Awards:
2017-2022: Grant from the Canadian Institute for Health Research
2017-2018: Alberta Spinal Cord Injury Research Support Fund
2016-2019: Grant from the Heart and Stroke Foundation with Ian Winship as Co Applicant
2016-2021: Co-PI on Grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH)
2015-2016: Grant from Conquer Paralysis Now
2015-2017: Grant from Wings for Life (Austria)
2014: Equipment grant from the Alberta Paraplegic Foundation
2013-2018: Co-PI on grant from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research
2012-2015: Grant from the International Spinal Research Trust (UK)
2012-2017: Two grants from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research
2012: Equipment grant from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation
Research
Dr. Fouad's research focuses on the promotion of functional recovery after spinal cord injuries by increasing the regenerative and plastic capabilities of the central nervous system.
Teaching
Karim Fouad, PhD, is a graduate supervisor at the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.
Scholarly Activities
Research - Research Lab
The overall goal of our research is to promote functional recovery following spinal cord injury.
Functional recovery following injuries of the central nervous system (CNS) is limited because severed axons are unable to regrow. This inability to regenerate is caused by various factors including growth inhibitory factors in the central nervous system and intracellular properties of injured neurons. Nevertheless, moderate recovery following brain or spinal cord injuries occurs. The underlying mechanisms for this recovery lies in the ability of spared and injured CNS circuitries to rearrange, generally termed as plasticity. To promote functional recovery following spinal cord injury we are currently focusing on the following two main strategies:
- Trying to understand injury induced plasticity and attempting to enhance this naturally occurring repair mechanism.
- Promoting regeneration of lesioned axons by addressing various regeneration restricting factors in combined treatments.
Methodology
The methods used in our laboratory range from various experimental approaches to promote plasticity and regeneration, to histological examinations, behavioral tests (sensory and motor), high speed kinematic and in vivo electrophysiological assessments.
Facilities
Our facilities include a tissue culture area, a histology lab, a darkroom for fluorescence microscopy and a laboratory fully equipped for surgeries and physiological experiments.
Featured Publications
Schmidt EKA, Torres-Espín A, Raposo P, Madsen KL, Kigerl KA, Popovich PG, Fenrich KK, Fouad K
2020 January;
Lucas-Osma AM, Li Y, Murray KC, Lin S, Black S, Stephens MJ, Ahn AH, Heckman CJ, Fenrich KK, Fouad K, Bennett DJ
2019 January;
Batty NJ, Torres-Espin A, Vavrek R, Raposo P, Fouad K
2019 January;
5. Reardon AJF, Karathra J, Ribbenstedt A, Benskin JP, MacDonald AM, Kinniburgh DW, Hamilton TJ, Fouad K, Martin JW
2019 January;
Fouad K, Bixby JL, Callahan A, Grethe JS, Jakeman LB, Lemmon VP, Magnuson DSK, Martone ME, Nielson JL, Schwab JM, Taylor-Burds C, Tetzlaff W, Torres-Espin A, Ferguson AR and the FAIR-SCI Ahead Workshop Participants.
2019 January;
Lin S, Li Y, Lucas-Osma AM, Hari K, Stephens MJ, Singla R, C J H, Zhang Y, Fouad K, Fenrich KK, Bennett DJ
2018 January;
Torres-Espin A, Forero J, Fenrich KK, Lucas-Osma AM, Krajacic A, Schmidt E, Vavrek R, Raposo P, Bennett DJ, Popovich PG, Fouad K
2018 January;
Lucas-Osma AM, Li Y, Lin S, Black S, Singla R, Fouad K, Fenrich KK, Bennett DJ
2018 January;
Batty NJ, Fenrich KK, Fouad K.
2017 January;
Fenrich KK, May Z, Torres-Espín A, Forero J, Bennett DJ, Fouad K.
2017 January;
Li Y, Lucas-Osma AM, Black S, Bandet MV, Stephens MJ, Vavrek R, Sanelli L, Fenrich KK, Di Narzo AF, Dracheva S, Winship IR, Fouad K, Bennett DJ.
2017 January;
Wei D, Hurd C, Galleguillos D, Singh J, Fenrich KK, Webber CA, Sipione S, Fouad K.
2017 January;
May Z, Fenrich KK, Dahlby J, Batty NJ, Torres-Espín A, Fouad K.
2017 January;
Wiersma AM, Fouad K, Winship IR.
2017 January;
Alpaugh M, Galleguillos D, Forero J, Morales LC, Lackey SW, Kar P, Di Pardo A, Holt A, Kerr BJ, Todd KG, Baker GB, Fouad K, Sipione S.
2017 January;
Callahan A, Anderson KD, Beattie MS, Bixby JL, Ferguson AR, Fouad K, Jakeman LB, Nielson JL, Popovich PG, Schwab JM, Lemmon VP; FAIR Share Workshop Participants.
2017 January;
Goganau I, Sandner B, Weidner N, Fouad K, Blesch A.
2017 January;
May Z, Torres-Espín A, Lucas-Osma AM, Batty NJ, Raposo P, Fenrich KK, Stykel MG, Führmann T, Shoichet M, Biernaskie J, Fouad K.
2017 January;
Jack AS, Hurd C, Forero J, Nataraj A, Fenrich K, Blesch A, Fouad K.
2017 January;
May Z, Kumar R, Führmann T, Tam R, Vulic K, Forero J, Lucas-Osma AM, Fenrich K, Assinck P, Lee MJ, Moulson A, Shoichet MS, Tetzlaff W, Biernaskie J, Fouad K.
2017 January;
Torres-Espín A, Forero J, Schmidt EKA, Fouad K, Fenrich KK.
2017 January;
Fenrich KK, May Z, Hurd C, Boychuk CE, Kowalczewski J, Bennett DJ, Whishaw IQ, Fouad K
2015 January;
Helmbrecht MS, Soellner H, Truckenbrodt AM, Sundermeier J, Cohrs C, Hans W, de Angelis MH, Feuchtinger A, Aichler M, Fouad K, Huber AB
2015 January;
May Z, Fouad K, Shum-Siu A, Magnuson DS
2015 January;
Helmbrecht MS, Soellner H, Castiblanco-Urbina MA, Winzeck S, Sundermeier J, Theis FJ, Fouad K, Huber AB
2015 January;
Fouad K, Hurd C
2014 January;
Weishaupt N, Vavrek R, Fouad K
2013 January;
Weishaupt N, Hurd C, Wei DZ, Fouad K
2013 January;
Hurd C, Weishaupt N, Fouad K.
2013 January;