In 2013, Dr. Matthew Galati, a medical student at the time, suffered a severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in a motor vehicle accident. Refusing to accept ill fate, he started researching how best to heal and created a protocol for his own recovery. Against all odds, he made a full recovery and completed his medical training, coming full circle as a physician.

After finishing his residency training in Family Medicine in 2018, Dr. Galati completed a fellowship in Environmental Medicine which has a strong focus on Functional and Integrative Medicine. In 2019, Dr. Galati established his own Family Medicine practice with the East GTA Family Health Team and started working as a Hospitalist at a rehabilitation hospital, Runnymede Healthcare.

In addition to working as a physician, Dr. Galati became the clinical lead for research being carried out at Toronto Rehab Institute which is centred around two of the pillars he used during his own recovery, intensive physical and cognitive exercise.

That same year, Dr. Galati founded the not for profit organization, Brain Changes Initiative, to fund this ground-breaking research being carried out at Toronto Rehab and provide education, awareness, and support for TBI survivors and their families.

matthew@brainchanges.org
@dr.mattgalati

Olivia Galati is a vibrant leader, with over 10 years of retail and consumer packaged goods experience centered around health and natural products. She is extremely passionate about health foods, in addition to the positive effects that natural products have on the body and mind. As a celiac herself, Olivia has first-hand experience with the way food can harm or heal the body. Her motivation to help consumers across the country find clean and quality products shows in her work as a Category Director for Loblaw Companies Ltd., managing their Natural Products Department for discount stores across Canada. Strategy, budgeting, and coaching are also among her strong-suits and have been integral in managing a multi-million dollar business year-to-year. 

Olivia graduated from the University of Western Ontario with Honours as a Double Major in Political Science and History. After graduating, she worked for the Provincial Government before developing a keen interest in business and entrepreneurship. Olivia was accepted into a graduate program at Loblaw Companies Ltd. and quickly climbed to a managerial role within 5 years.

In 2011, her brother Dr. Matthew Galati, sustained a very serious Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). With her knowledge and experience in the health food industry, Olivia helped shape a brain healthy nutrition plan for Dr. Galati, aiding in his recovery.

Olivia’s strengths in business and leadership, and her passion for healthcare make her a natural fit as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Brain Changes Initiative (BCI). Her valuable skill set and intimate family experience with TBI, have equipped her to lead BCI in its mission to change the standard of Care for TBI rehabilitation.

Email Olivia Galati:
olivia@brainchanges.org

Since 1985, Sal Galati has worked in the field of Building Science, specializing in providing products and services to the multi-family apartment building sector across Canada.

Over the last 10 years, he has focused his attention on the development, building, and management of healthcare services and programs, working in collaboration with the East GTA Family Health Team located in Scarborough, Ontario. Sal has used his vast knowledge in healthcare navigation to help primary care physicians, specialists, and allied health practitioners to deliver more cohesive ways to manage practice solutions using a four-pronged approach of Style, Space, Staff and Systems.

While philanthropy and community engagement has been a focal point throughout his career, in 2013, he and his family’s commitment to supporting the field of neuro-rehabilitation and research became paramount as a result of his son’s life-changing traumatic event.

Today, Sal is proud to be the co-founder of Brain Changes Initiative. He is committed to working with stakeholders to raise funds for awareness, education, and research, striving to improve the standard of care for TBI survivors.

Email Sal Galati:
sal@brainchanges.org

Amani brings over 10 years of marketing strategy, branding, and e-commerce expertise to the BCI team. Her experience includes marketing strategy work with McDonald’s, CIBC, and SickKids Foundation, as well as more niche start-ups — helping them stand out, expand their digital reach, and optimize results. In the last several years, Amani has also successfully built, launched, and grown 2 e-commerce companies from the ground up, giving her the vision to take ideas from early conception to execution.

What makes her approach unique is her culmination of analytical thinking combined with out-of-the-box problem solving, resulting in strategic yet creative brand solutions. Her ultimate goal is to create dynamic companies that have the capacity to entice, intrigue, and draw interest while simultaneously delivering on tangible analytical markers.

Amani has recently shifted focus to the wellness and nutrition space, areas she has always had a natural affinity towards. She looks forward to transforming BCI’s presence through a compelling design rebrand, a refreshed website, social media, and email strategy. She will also be leading the launch of new merchandise and brand collateral that will further grow the BCI community, heighten awareness, and raise funds.

amani@brainchanges.org
@amaniabouc

Claire Galati has been working in the Marketing field for over 5 years. She graduated from Ontario’s Schulich School of Business with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and a specialization in Marketing. Having grown up immersed in the arts, she looks for opportunities to fuse her creative passions with her business acumen, and volunteer her time to initiatives she’s passionate about. She is honoured to be part of the BCI team, contributing to their marketing initiatives and strategies, and having a hand in helping TBI survivors through their recoveries.

After completing his undergraduate degree at York University, Mariano spent the next few years in management at a retail chain where he realized his interest in working with, and helping the public. This led him to follow in his father’s footsteps as a financial advisor, giving him opportunities to help his clients on a more profound level and leave a lasting impact on their lives. 

In 2021, Mariano also became a Certified Financial Planner®️ as part of his mission to continue improving himself in service of his clients. He is a devoted supporter of BCI and you can usually find him running somewhere with his crew not far behind. As the Chief Experience Officer, Mariano spends a lot of time in front of the camera; whether live on a Sunday with the Brain Gains running crew or together with Dr. Galati facilitating the Brain Banter live series. In his free time, he enjoys listening to audiobooks, working out or getting ‘gains’ as he calls it, spending time with his friends and family, and most importantly his furry four legged friend, Xochil ‘The Grey’.

Matthew is primarily a Civil and Commercial Litigation lawyer. Outside of his practice, he enjoys venturing out of the litigation world to tackle legal questions that friends, family, and organizations, such as the great and powerful Brain Changes Initiative (BCI), may ask of him. 

Fascinated and inspired by Dr. Galati’s story, Matthew admires BCI for its immense potential to affect positive change on the world. Upon hearing Dr. Galati’s first-hand experiences in recovering from TBI, Matthew was surprised (and disappointed) to learn that the current treatment methods for TBI patients are rather archaic. As such, Matthew has committed himself to helping BCI toward inevitable success.