Donation of $1.25 million will aid research in addiction
Surrey seeks scientist to study medical technology in treatment
The John Volken Academy, a Surrey addiction treatment centre, will soon host research that looks at using technology to treat mental illness.
Officials announced Thursday that a new position has been created to oversee studies funded by $1.25 million from the John Volken Academy, the City of Surrey and the Surrey Fire Fighters’ Charitable Society.
An international search will begin immediately to find a scientist who is the right fit for the job, initially funded for five years. This new position will officially be called the Simon Fraser University Chair in Technology Innovations for Youth Addiction Recovery and Mental Health.
The idea
Advances in neurological research have shown that the brain undergoes physiological changes — known as neuroplasticity — throughout life. Less understood is what happens to the brain’s wiring during and after addiction, says neuroscientist and SFU professor Ryan D’Arcy, who also co-chairs Surrey’s Innovation Boulevard, a project aimed at attracting top medical researchers to both the university and Surrey Memorial Hospital.
Former businessman and philanthropist John Volken, who runs the academy, says techniques that track brain activity could help untangle the processes at play during therapy.
“The brain of an addict is different, but we don’t know enough about it,” says Volken.
“I always tell the students there’s no cure for addiction, but there is successful treatment.”
The research
While it’s not known exactly what direction the research will take, it could include brain imaging of students at the academy who commit to a two-year program of therapy, plus life skills and education to prepare them for a drug-free life.
“We know we have a successful model (at the academy), so what we need to do is bring in scientists to measure how it works on the brain,” explains D’Arcy.
“It’s about taking all the amazing research from universities worldwide and saying, ‘let’s use this to guide better treatment for addictions and mental health.’ ”
The place
The John Volken Academy is a residential program for 70 young adults between the ages of 19 and 34 that has a one-time intake fee of $5,000.
The rest of the cost is covered by a foundation Volken created when he sold his United Furniture Warehouse chain about 10 years ago. He runs two other treatment centres in Washington and Arizona that can accept 30 and 25 students, respectively, with plans to expand both.
There is no waiting list in Surrey, he says.