Ji Zhang (MD, PhD), Principle Investigator
Lyman Duff Medical Building, Suite 203
3775 University Street, Montreal, H3A 2B4, QC, Canada
Tel: 514-3961465
Fax: 514-3988121
Email: Ji.Zhang [at] mcgill.ca
Professor
Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences
Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
McGill University
Full member
The Alan Edwards Center for Research on Pain (AECRP)
McGill University
Associate member
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
McGill University
Dr. Zhang obtained her Medical Degree (MD) in China, Master Degree (MSc) in France and Ph.D. in Canada. She was trained in the field of Neuroimmunology with Dr. Serge Rivest at Laval University which was followed by two post-doctoral trainings in Industry (AstraZeneca) and in Academia (Dr. Yves de Koninck at Laval University). During her post-doctoral training, she applied her knowledge of neuroimmunology to pain research and established her own research niche “Neuroimmunology in Pain”.
She became a principal investigator in 2005 at Laval University, joined McGill as a tenure-track assistant professor in 2007, and tenured in 2013. Dr. Zhang has investigated the involvement of the immune system in various types of chronic pain for 20 years. She is especially interested in how non-neuronal cells (glial cells, immune cells and endothelial cells) in the microenvironment modulate neuronal pain transmission pathways and lead to persistent pain. She is devoted to seeking insights from pre-clinical animal studies and look for translational success for the benefit of millions of patients suffering from chronic pain.
Her work has been funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Fonds de Recherche Sante Quebec (FRSQ), some private funding agencies, including The Louis and Alan Edwards Foundation (LAEF) and industry partners. Dr. Zhang has been a CIHR new Investigator and FRSQ research scholar.
In her spare time, she enjoys painting (oil and acrylic pouring), photographing, gardening, and travelling.