PhD student Karim Mithani awarded University of Toronto Alumni Association graduate scholarship for research on impulsivity disorders

Karim Mithani, a PhD student at the University of Toronto Institute of Biomedical Engineering, has received a graduate scholarship from the University of Toronto Alumni Association (UTAA) in recognition of his research on the neural basis of impulsive behaviour and the development of new neuromodulation therapies. 

Mithani is a resident physician in neurosurgery at the University of Toronto and is completing his PhD through the University’s Surgeon-Scientist Training Program. He previously completed a combined Doctor of Medicine and Master of Engineering degree at the University of Toronto, where his research focused on developing minimally invasive, image-guided neurosurgical interventions for psychiatric diseases and movement disorders.  

Currently as a PhD student supervised by neurosurgeon-scientist Dr. George Ibrahim, Mithani’s doctoral research examines how brain circuits involved in reward and decision-making contribute to disorders of impulsivity. These conditions include addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and certain forms of autism that involve repetitive self-injurious behaviour. Many people living with these disorders continue to experience symptoms despite medication and behavioural therapy. 

His doctoral work also investigates deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens as a potential treatment for severe, repetitive self-injurious behaviour in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. In parallel, he studies the neural circuitry of this brain region using intracranial electroencephalography to better understand how these circuits influence behaviour. 

In addition to the UTAA scholarship, Mithani was also a recipient of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Canada Graduate Scholarships. The prestigious national program supports graduate students across Canada who are conducting research in health, natural sciences and engineering, and the social sciences and humanities. The funding enables recipients to focus on their studies and contribute to Canada’s research ecosystem. 

“I am incredibly grateful for the mentorship and collaborative environment at the University of Toronto, which has made my doctoral work possible. The UTAA Graduate Scholarship is a meaningful investment in trainees and in the future of translational research,” says Mithani, “Support like this helps us push the boundaries of what we know about complex brain disorders and move closer to delivering personalized, life-changing treatments for individuals who currently have very limited options.”