Donald Mabbott

Psychologist
Paediatric Brain Tumour Program
Division of Haematology/Oncology

Dr. Donald Mabbott received his PhD in developmental psychology at the University of Alberta in 1998 and then completed a post-doctoral fellowship in paediatric neuropsychology at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). He initially worked as a clinical psychologist with the Northern Alberta Children’s Cancer Program at the Cross Cancer Institute/Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, before returning to SickKids in 2001, where he has held multiple roles.

Research

Situated at the intersection between clinical neuroscience, developmental neuropsychology and regenerative medicine, Dr. Mabbott seeks to understand how perturbed brain development manifests as cognitive impairment in children – particularly in survivors of paediatric brain tumour, and to discover how neuroplasticity in the developing brain can be harnessed for neural recovery and cognitive restoration in children with acquired brain injury.

Education

• 2004: Diplomate in Clinical Neuropsychology, American Board of Professional Psychology
• 2002: Registered Psychologist, College of Psychologists of Ontario, Toronto, ON
• 1998: PhD, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta Subject: Psychology
• 1997: Chartered Psychologist, College of Alberta Psychologists, Edmonton, Alberta
  Non Practicing Psychologist
• 1993: MA, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta Subject: Psychology
• 1988: BA, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg
  Subject: Religious Studies

Experience

• January 2018–Present: Program Head, Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• January 2015–Present: Senior Scientist, Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• March 2014–Dec 2017: Associate Chief of Academic & Professional Practice, Department of Professional Practice, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• Feb 2011–Dec 2014: Senior Associate Scientist, Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• Aug 2006–Feb 2014: Academic Program Director, Department of Psychology, The  Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• Feb 2004–Jan 2011: Associate Scientist, Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• May 2002–Feb 2004: Project Director, Brain and Behavior Program, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• Sep 2001–Present: Psychologist, Paediatric Brain Tumour Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON

Achievements

• 2019: Paul Grundy (2018) Visiting Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta
• 2015: Ninth Riley Church Guest Professor in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, Stanford University, Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital
• 2014: Award for Excellence in Pediatric Quality of Life Research, The Society for Neuro-Oncology

1. Al Dahhan NZ, Moxon-Emre I, Tseng J, de Medeiros CB, Laughlin S, Bouffet E, Mabbott DJ.  Neural Network Disruptions and their Impact on Emotion Regulation and Executive Functioning in Children Treated for Brain Tumors. Neuropsychologia. 2026 Jun 6; 226:109439. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2026.109439. Epub 2026 Mar 22

2. Kropf J, Zapparoli B, Tseng J, Finn AS, Wheeler AL, Dlamini N, Mabbott DJ. Demographics Change the Relationships Between Socioeconomic Status, White Matter Network Organization, and Cognition in Children. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. 2026 May 29;80:101751. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2026.101751.

3. Ryan JL, Cox E, de Medeiros CB, Johnston K, Biswas M, Ferlanti L, Al-Rubeye F, Chen-Lai J, Jiang A, Mabbott DJ.  The feasibility of Fit ABCS: A web-based resource that trains community instructors to lead a group exercise program for pediatric brain tumor survivors. NeuroOncology Pediatrics. Neuro-Oncology Pediatrics, 2026 Feb 13 wuag006, https://doi.org/10.1093/neuped/wuag006.

4. Wade Alonso K, Mabbott DJ. Executive Function After Childhood Cancer: Insights from Network Neuroscience. NeuroOncology Advances. 12 January 2026 https://doi.org/ 10.1093/noajnl/vdaf070;

5. Ryan JL, Johnston K, Bouffet E, Bartels U, Timmons B, de Medeiros C, Mabbott DJ. Physical and cognitive characteristics of a group exercise program for children treated for brain tumors. Front Rehabil Sci. 2026 Jan 15;6:1709309. doi: 10.3389/fresc.2025.1709309. eCollection.

See a full list of Don Mabbott's publications

Funding

• 2021–2027: Understanding cognitive impairment in children with sickle cell anemia: Linking cerebrovascular impairment to brain activation. Kassner, A. Mabbott, DJ, Janzen, L, Odame, I, William, S, Dunkley, B, and Dhlamini, N. Canadian Institutes of Health Research Fall 2020 Project Grant Competition
• 2021–2026: Comparison of Symptom Burden/Toxicity, Neurocognitive Change, and Functional Outcomes in Pediatric Brain Tumor Patients Treated with Proton vs. Photon Radiotherapy.  Kahalley L, Mabbott DJ, Hinds P, Chintagumpala M, Lupo, P, Minard, CG, Okcu, MF, Raghubar, K, Grosshans, D, Bouffet E, Janzen L, Hodgson D, Tsang D, DeLuca, C, Hansford, J, McCarthy, M, dela Cruz Paulino, A, Whitehead, W.   N​a​t​i​o​n​a​l​ ​In​s​t​i​t​u​t​e​s​ ​o​f​ ​H​e​a​l​t​h​, United States
• 2020–2025: MET-MED Trial: A phase II randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of metformin for cognitive recovery and white matter growth in paediaric medulloblastoma patients. Hansford, J, De Luca C, Mabbott D, Bouffet E, Carr M, Jones J, Wood P. Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council. MRFF Research Grants, Childhood Brain Cancer 
• 2019–Present: Phase III randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of metformin for cognitive recovery and white matter growth in paediatric medulloblastoma patients. Mabbott DJ Bouffet E, Laughlin S, Willan A, Larouche V, Beattie T, Cheng S, Girgis R, Sinha R, Khan N, Halverson M, Lafay-Cousin L, Hukin J, Erker C, Johnston D, Crooks B, Wilson V, Haas K, Haas T.
• 2019–2024: Phase III randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of metformin for cognitive recovery and white matter growth in paediatric medulloblastoma patients. Mabbott DJ Bouffet E, Laughlin S, Willan A, Larouche V, Beattie T, Cheng S, Girgis R, Sinha R, Khan N, Halverson M, Lafay-Cousin L, Hukin J, Erker C, Johnston D, Crooks B, Wilson V, Haas K, Haas T. Canadian Cancer Society/CIHR Cancer Survivorship Team Grant. 
• 2019–2021: It’s all about time: Optimising infrastructure for functional brain imaging in children. Taylor M, Mabbott D, Dunkley B. Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI). John R. Evans Leadership Fund.
• 2018–2023: White matter plasticity in brain synchronisation and memory. Mabbott, DJ, Frankland, P, Lefebvre, Jérémie, Bartels, Ute, Decker, Alexandra, Laughlin, S, Oyefiade, Ade, Ramaswamy, Vijay. Canadian Institutes of Health Research. 
• 2017–2022: Toronto Perinatal Brain Protection Research Collaboration. Project number 36342. Lee S, Barrett J, Cunningham C, Kelly E, Kingdom J, Macgowan C, Miller SP, Scherer S, Seed M, Sled J. Other users: Morgen E, Mabbott D, White L, Blaser S, Ryan G, Windrim R, Keunen J, Shah P, Jain A, Deshpande P, Melamed N, Ng E, Church P, Glanc P, Machnowska M. Canadian Foundation for Innovation - Project Innovation Fund 2017.
• 2015–2021: CHILD-BRIGHT: Child Health Initiatives Limiting Disability- Brain Research Improving Growth and Health Trajectories. Majnemer A; Miller SP; Goldowitz D, Kirton CA, Cohen E, Gorter, JW, Kirton CA, Lach LM, Lucyna M, Marelli A, Mcgrath PJ, Thomson D, Gavin F, Florence D, Major-Cook N, Tracy L, O’Donnell M, Mabbott DJ. CIHR -SPOR Networks in Chronic Disease - (Theme 1 Project 3)
• 2018–2020: Development and Usability Testing of Online Tools for Community Based Exercise Training in Survivors of Paediatric Brain Tumours. Pitblado Discovery Grant – Garron Family Cancer Centre.
• 2015–2020: Pharmacological recruitment of endogenous neural precursors to promote pediatric white matter repair. Miller, FD, Mabbott, DJ, Frankland, W, Kaplan, D, Morshead, CM, Munoz, D, Wang, J, and Yeh, A. Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine