Sofia Chavez

Dr. Sofia Chavez is an Associate Scientist in the Research Imaging Centre in the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute at CAMH.

Research Synopsis

Dr. Chavez's research focuses on the extraction of quantitative physical and biological information from the complex MR signal. Areas of interest include: relaxometry (T1 and T2 mapping), brain function (functional MRI, fMRI), brain micro-structure (diffusion tensor imaging, DTI), brain chemistry (spectroscopy, MRS) and cerebral blood flow (arterial spin labeling, ASL). Her research aims to develop robust methods to obtain accurate,  tissue-specific MR measures, including the development of new methodologies of data sampling and signal processing. Furthermore, she has developed new algorithms for the detection and correction of image artifacts (eg. phase unwrapping and spike noise) as well as field mapping (B1) with the goal of improving data quality by overcoming some of the imperfections associated with the measuring process. Dr. Chavez's research goal is to improve the capability of MR to yield quantitative, tissue-specific measures with a specific focus on pyschiatric disorders. This work will aid in the discovery of new biomarkers for monitoring disease progression and treatment response.