Susan Grange, who comprises the highly successful Lothlorien racing outfit, is one of the three grandchildren of the late Thomson Corp. magnate Roy Thomson that have joined to make a massive $30-million donation to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

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According to a report by the Toronto Star, the donation is the largest-ever private donation to mental health research. The donation is to be made over five years.

The article states that the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute will attract leading scientists and expand research in brain circuitry, an important emerging area of study. It will also help fund specialized techniques in imaging, optogenetics and bioinformatics.

The report has quoted CAMH President and CEO Dr. Catherine Zahn as saying that the field is on the cusp of exponential change. “There’s a great deal of clarity of thought on what directions we have to go in,” Dr, Zahn was quoted as saying. “Now we have the opportunity to do it full force.”

(With files from the Toronto Star)