Sara Mitchell '01

Tell me a little bit about yourself, what you do, etc. 
I’m a cognitive neurologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, where I work to better understand complex brain disorders and how they affect memory, behaviour, thinking and emotion. Much of my work focuses on dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases, both through research and through caring for patients in specialized clinics dedicated to diagnosing and treating these conditions. 

In addition to my clinical work, I hold several leadership roles focused on improving how we study, teach and care for disorders of the brain. I’m the Director of the Azrieli Brain Medicine Program, an innovative program that takes a more integrated approach to brain care. Traditionally, medicine has treated different aspects of the brain in separate silos, for example, neurology, psychiatry, neurosurgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, which often work independently. However, the brain is incredibly interconnected, and many patients don’t fit neatly into one category. 

Our program aims to bring these disciplines together to provide more holistic patient care while also training the next generation of physicians to think more collaboratively about complex brain disorders. Supported primarily by the Azrieli Foundation, the program now includes eight fellows as well as a large interdisciplinary clinical, administrative and research team. I also serve as Deputy Chief of the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program at Sunnybrook, which works to advance interdisciplinary brain research, innovation, and programmatic development. 

What is the most important thing you took away from your time at TanenbaumCHAT?
The most important things I took away from my time at TanenbaumCHAT were a strong work ethic and the ability to balance multiple responsibilities.  The school set very high expectations, but it also taught students how to stay organized, resilient, and productive while managing academics, extracurricular activities, community involvement, and social life simultaneously. Looking back, I realize how valuable those skills became later in life and throughout my career in medicine. What stands out to me about TanenbaumCHAT graduates is not just their academic success, but also their ability to contribute meaningfully to their communities while remaining thoughtful, compassionate and socially engaged. The school fostered a culture of striving for excellence while emphasizing responsibility to others and the importance of being a good person. Those are lessons that have stayed with me ever since. 

Who are the teachers who had an impact on you during your schooling? Is there anyone you want to shout out? 
It’s difficult to single out just a few teachers because, as I mentioned earlier, being a student at TanenbaumCHAT often meant balancing academics, extracurricular activities, friendships, and community commitments simultaneously. What I appreciated most was that my teachers genuinely care about us not only as students, but as people. They encouraged growth, challenged us intellectually and pushed us to think deeply about the world around us. I always felt they truly cared about me as a person and wanted me to succeed. 

One teacher who had a particularly lasting impact on me was Dr. Malamet, who taught us back in the days of the TanenbaumCHAT portables. I’m still connected with him today. He currently runs a Jewish studies group for a group of women, often on Zoom from Israel in the middle of the night, his local time, as he has made aliyah. We learn in this class about creating meaning in our lives through Judaism, and it exemplifies the commitment that TanenbaumCHAT teachers have to their students and their dedication to instilling a passion for lifelong learning. 

I grew up in a Reconstructionist Jewish home and came to school with many questions and perspectives. While not everyone necessarily shared my viewpoints, I felt that the teachers always created space for thoughtful discussion, which helped me better understand myself and the broader diversity of Jewish thought and identity. 

Describe your career track after you left TanenbaumCHAT.
After graduating,  I pursued an Honours degree in Psychology at McGill University alongside Philosophy. I have always been fascinated by the brain, not only from a scientific perspective, but also from a philosophical and psychological one. I was especially interested in questions about consciousness, identity, free will, behaviour and how our brains shape who we are. This led me to take many philosophy classes alongside my psychology degree. After McGill, I took a year to educate myself on the world, backpacking through Africa, India and Southeast Asia with a best friend. 

Despite my studies being more arts and philosophy-focused, I ultimately pursued medicine at McMaster University, where arts-based students could apply without the conventional science prerequisite courses. 

Medical school was a major transition for me academically, and I spent those years building a much stronger foundation in biomedical sciences while continuing to gravitate toward the study of the brain. I really just wanted to go to “brain school” after this, but medicine required me to pick a line and so I chose neurology. I completed a five-year neurology residency at UofT. Afterwards, I did a fellowship in cognitive behavioural neurology and neuropsychiatry at Harvard Medical School, followed by a Master’s in Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. I finally returned to Toronto after receiving a staff position at Sunnybrook, where I’ve been since 2016. 

Was there anything at TanenbaumCHAT that pushed you into your current field?
Not necessarily in a direct way, but absolutely in terms of values, mindset and work ethic. Facing a medical degree with an arts background never felt daunting - TanenbaumCHAT gave me the confidence and resilience to believe I could succeed in challenging environments. When you function at the level that TanenbaumCHAT prepares you for, you don’t shy away from any challenge or unconventional path. That mindset has stayed with me throughout my career. 

Walk through a typical workday.  
No two days are ever exactly the same, which is one of the things I enjoy most about my work. I typically spend three days a week in clinic seeing patients, always alongside medical students, residents, or fellows, so there is a strong teaching component as well. Much of my clinical work involved caring for patients with dementia and other complex brain disorders, while also advocating for patients and families and trying to create the best possible care experience for them. A major part of my work is thinking about how we can improve diagnosis, treatment pathways and access to new therapies. I spend a lot of time collaborating with other brain-related specialists, neuropsychologists, nurses, social workers, researchers, and hospital leaders to think about patients more holistically. 

My other two days are more academic and leadership-focused. Those days can include giving lectures or speaking at conferences, locally and internationally; meeting with research and clinical teams; writing or reviewing manuscripts; and developing new clinical and educational initiatives. In my leadership roles, I spend a lot of time thinking strategically about how healthcare systems can better care for patients with complex brain disorders, which I find genuinely exciting and meaningful.

What do you love about your job? 
There is nothing I find more fascinating than trying to understand the brain. What I love most is that my work allows me to combine that curiosity with caring for patients, teaching future physicians and specialists, collaborating with incredible teams, and helping to shape better systems of care. The varied nature of my work, from clinical care to advocacy, education, and big-picture thinking, makes me feel that I can meaningfully improve patients’ lives, which is an incredible privilege. 

Why is Jewish day school education important?
Jewish day school really taught me about who I am. I spent a lot of time after TanenbaumCHAT exploring who I am in the world, and I give my schooling a lot of credit for helping me build a strong identity and sense of self. TanenbaumCHAT provided me with a grounded value system and connection to an ethics-based system that helped me navigate myself and my role in the larger world. I believe that the value-based education we received at TanenbaumCHAT helped me and my colleagues find success in our lives and enabled us to contribute positively to the world. I believe that this is all fostered by the foundational experience that we received at Jewish day school. 

Are you still involved in the Jewish community in any way? If so, how? 
Since October 7th, much of my involvement in the Jewish community has centred around bridge-building. One of my family’s closest friends, Vivian Silver, was a renowned peace activist who was tragically killed on October 7th. I’ve channelled my internal struggles into continuing her peace work, helping organize a major fundraiser in her honour. I’ve continued collaborative work across religious communities in Toronto and have also worked within the hospital system to encourage understanding and connection during an incredibly difficult time. My Jewish energy, so to speak, has been poured into this work, and I am dedicated to honouring Vivian’s legacy of peace and dialogue. 

 
Do you have any advice to offer current students at TanenbaumCHAT? 
My advice to current students would be to trust the process and have confidence in yourselves. When you’re in the midst of high school and looking toward the future, it can feel overwhelming to balance expectations, social pressures, uncertainties, and the challenge of developing your own sense of self and identity. There are many challenges inherent in the high school experience, but TanenbaumCHAT does an exceptional job of preparing students not only academically but also personally to face the world with resilience, discipline and curiosity.  I could also encourage students not to be afraid to take unconventional paths or follow their intellectual interests, even if the road ahead seems unclear. 

Whether you’re five, ten or twenty years past graduation, you will realize that the skills and perspective you developed at TanenbaumCHAT continue to shape your ability to succeed and to become the best version of yourself possible.