Meet The Team

As a clinician and researcher in aging, Dr Awani’s work focuses on addressing the complex needs of individuals with dementia by enhancing care quality through targeted training for caregivers and residents. Dr Awani’s contributions to geriatric psychiatry and dementia care help advance patient-centered interventions through research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and education. He believes that promoting inclusivity in dementia care is critical for improving the well-being of individuals living with dementia.

Dr Awani has trained and mentored future geriatric psychiatrists and researchers with a strong emphasis on patient-centered care and improving care quality. He incorporates modern teaching methods to enhance empathy for and understanding of the needs of persons living with dementia. Knowledge translation of evidence-based practice is central to his clinical teaching, and he manages a Geriatric Psychiatry Journal Club to promote knowledge dissemination. Beyond mentorship, he has led several initiatives to enhance dementia care training.

As a person from a racialized background, Dr Awani is aware of the growing number of racialized individuals living with major neurocognitive disorders. As a clinician, he is also aware of the lack of interventions and guidelines that address the needs of racialized individuals and has advocated for greater inclusion in dementia care interventions.

For over a decade, Dr Awani’s work has focused on dementia care, particularly managing expressive behaviors. Dr Awani is actively involved in clinical trials examining expressive behaviors in individuals living with dementia. He also collaborates with outreach teams that support dementia care across Ontario, prioritizing nonpharmacological approaches to assist individuals with dementia and their care partners.

Dr. Tuoyo Awani

President & Founder