From discovery to care
Advancing evidence-based care for fetal and newborn brain conditions.
The Perinatal Brain Journeys (PBJ) Lab partners with families to understand and address the challenges of fetal and newborn brain conditions, from prevention and early diagnosis to outcome prediction and symptom management across the lifelong journey.
Our research
What we study
Our lab brings together data science, surveys, brain imaging, and electrophysiology to better understand early-life brain conditions and improve how they are prevented, diagnosed, treated, and supported. Central to our work is close collaboration with people with lived experience, ensuring our research tackles real-world challenges and informs evidence-based care.
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Perinatal stroke
A stroke that happens around the time of birth. We study why it occurs, how to recognize it sooner, and what it means for a child as they grow.
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Fetal & neonatal brain injury
Brain injuries that begin before or shortly after birth, including bleeding in the brain. We work to diagnose them earlier and guide families through what comes next.
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Cerebral palsy
A lifelong condition affecting movement that often traces back to early brain development. We look for its earliest signs and the factors that shape each child's path.
Selected work
Recent publications
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2025
Neuromodulation for children with hemiparesis and perinatal stroke: a randomized clinical trial
JAMA Neurology
Perinatal stroke -
2025
Fetal intracerebral hemorrhage: review of the literature and practice considerations
Pediatric Research
Fetal & neonatal brain injury -
2023
Development of a bedside tool to predict the diagnosis of cerebral palsy in term-born neonates
JAMA Pediatrics
Cerebral palsy -
2021
Perinatal stroke: mapping and modulating developmental plasticity
Nature Reviews Neurology
Perinatal stroke
From the lab
Latest news
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Spring 2026
We have received CIHR funding (four years) to co-design with families a framework to predict neurodevelopment in fetuses affected by brain conditions.
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Autumn 2025
We collaborated with fetal researchers around the world to develop guidelines for the diagnosis and management of fetal brain hemorrhage.
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Autumn 2024
PI Mary Dunbar named one of the Top 40 Under 40 in Calgary for her work on early life brain conditions.
The people behind the work
Meet the team
Dr. Mary Dunbar Lab lead
A pediatric neurologist at the Alberta Children's Hospital and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Calgary, Dr. Dunbar provides neurological care from fetal life through age 18 and leads our research into early-life brain conditions—working alongside clinicians, researchers, and trainees who share that focus.
Meet the whole team →