The Ludmer Centre is named after Mr. Irving Ludmer, the inspiring donor committed to bringing together researchers and partners under one banner, and to leverage their expertise and shared resources to reach new frontiers in mental health research. As part of his philanthropic commitment, in 1989 Mr. Ludmer established and remains president of the Irving Ludmer Family Foundation which actively supports social services, organizations, the arts, hospitals, health agencies, education initiatives and research.
After graduating from McGill in 1957, Mr. Ludmer maintained a long and distinguished association with McGill. His interest in particle physics and ‘how matter creates thought’, and a broad love of science shaped his decision to give an initial donation of $3 million towards renovations in McGill’s Department of Psychiatry in 2006.
In 2013, The Ludmer Family Foundation made a substantial donation to establish the Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics & Mental Health. At the time, this was one of the largest donations towards advancing mental health research. The initial vision behind the centre was to significantly reduce the rates of mental illness through the identification of early childhood risk factors, and through personalized treatment. In 2022, The Ludmer Family Foundation made a new gift to launch the Single Cell Genomic Brain Initiative at the Ludmer Centre.
In the last decade, Mr. Ludmer has maintained a none-voting member status at the core of the centre's governance, and continues to guide the research direction and pave the path to the future.
