MONTREAL, QC (May 3, 2022) Weizmann Canada is thrilled to announce a visionary gift from Valeria Rosenbloom of Montreal, enabling the establishment of the Mike and Valeria Rosenbloom Center for Research on Positive Neuroscience. This center is one of 12 within the flagship Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences, at the globally-renowned Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.  

“Positive neuroscience is an emerging field globally, forging new paths of discovery in brain health through human flourishing and well-being, building on the more conventional exploration of diminishing health through illness and disease,” said Weizmann Institute President, Prof. Alon Chen. “We are grateful to the Mike and Valeria Rosenbloom Foundation for its generous contribution that will enable this new center to work alongside and in collaboration with 11 other centers, in order to tackle the enormous task of answering the most complex questions in the field of neuroscience.” 

The Rosenbloom leadership investment, inspired by a keen desire to focus on prevention, will help bolster this emerging field. 

“The curiosity-driven research that is the fundamental essence of the Weizmann Institute is perfectly aligned with what I believe — and what Mike also believed — that this will lead to more discoveries,” said Valeria Rosenbloom. “Nutrition, lifestyle, clean water, air pollution, sunlight, sleep, social interaction and many other elements have an impact on our brains and our overall health, and I am very proud that this new center will help us to get a better understanding of why.” 

Treasured friends of the Weizmann Institute, Valeria and her late husband Mike’s (z”l) support for cancer and neuroscience research, as well as scholarships, has had a tremendous impact on both Weizmann scientists and students. 

“We are incredibly grateful for Valeria Rosenbloom’s generosity in supporting this vital initiative,” said Susan Stern, CEO of Weizmann Canada. “Valeria’s leadership through this investment will benefit humankind by focusing on what our brains truly do well, to help enrich our lives for every day that we spend on this precious Earth. We are so proud that the Rosenbloom name will forever be synonymous with this crucial area of well-being.”  

Under the leadership of Prof. Yaniv Ziv of the Department of Brain Sciences, the Mike and Valeria Rosenbloom Center for Research on Positive Neuroscience will launch investigations into human resilience to the stresses of modern life, individual differences in how we overcome trauma, injury, and age-related deficits, and the most outstanding examples of human intelligence and social collaboration.  

While mental resilience to chronic stress is a topic of perennial importance, it feels especially pertinent right now, as people worldwide have been forced to cope with isolation and restrictions on movement due to the pandemic. Incidentally, Canadian Mental Health Week (May 2-8), focuses on the importance of empathy as the pandemic persists. The compassionate brain is a crucial and natural part of being human, and an example of a novel area of research being done in positive neuroscience.  

The Rosenbloom Center will also support studies on how to harness what is learned about the brain to improve teaching and educational strategies.  

Additional resources  

• • Learn more about the institute that will house the Mike and Valeria Rosenbloom Center for Research on Positive Neuroscience 
  • Facts and Figures about the Weizmann Institute of Science