Robert Zipursky

Dr. Zipursky attended Cornell University as an undergraduate and McMaster University for his medical education. He completed his residency training in psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh and a research fellowship at Stanford University. He joined the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto in 1991 and established the First Episode Psychosis Program at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry which he directed from 1992-2006. He served as the Director of the Schizophrenia Division at the Clarke Institute and CAMH from 1996-2006 as well as the Tapscott Chair in Schizophrenia Studies and Vice Chair Research for the Department of Psychiatry. In 2007, Dr. Zipursky was appointed Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University, Chief of Psychiatry and Vice President for Mental Health and Addiction Services at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and Hamilton Health Sciences. Dr. Zipursky returned to CAMH and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto in 2018. Dr. Zipursky’s research contributions have been recognized by the John Cleghorn Memorial Award for Excellence and Leadership from the Canadian Psychiatric Association and the APA/Kempf Fund Award for Research Development in Psychobiological Psychiatry from the American Psychiatric Association. His educational contributions have been recognized with the Best Fellowship Supervisor Award (Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto) and by the Psychiatry Clerkship Teaching Award and Psychiatry Undergraduate Teaching Award (McMaster University). He is a recipient of the Michael Smith Award for Schizophrenia from the Schizophrenia Society of Canada and the Mission Legacy Award from St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

Research Synopsis

Dr. Zipursky’s research interests have included the investigation of structural brain abnormalities that underlie schizophrenia and other psychiatric illnesses using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and optimizing the treatment of first episode schizophrenia. His current research interests are in characterizing the outcomes from schizophrenia and their determinants, and in developing interventions to improve outcomes.