Canada's Top Health Researchers To Be Recognized

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 20 Nov 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Canada's top health researchers will be recognized tonight at the 7th annual Canadian Health Research Awards. These awards are among the Canadian research community's highest honours.

The 2008 Health Researcher of the Year for Biomedical and Clinical Research will be awarded to Dr. Michael Hayden of the University of British Columbia. Dr. Hayden will be presented with the prestigious CIHR Michael Smith Prize for his vision and drive to improve treatment for patients. Dr. Hayden's revolutionary research on Huntington's disease (HD) has led to the development of a predictive genetic test for HD. More recently, his research has provided the first evidence of a potential cure for this devastating neurodegenerative illness.

Dr. Peter Tugwell of the University of Ottawa will receive the 2008 Health Researcher of the Year for Health Services and Systems and Population Health Research. The esteemed CIHR Michael Smith Prize will be presented to Dr. Tugwell for his outstanding research on health equity through leadership and scholarship. From treating patients in Nigeria to teaching students at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Tugwell's role in the field of medical research has been invaluable.

Canada's Premier Young Researcher Award will be given to Dr. Charles Cunningham from Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. He will be presented with the Peter Lougheed/CIHR New Investigator Award for his important contributions to improve magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). By expanding MRI capabilities, he is developing novel methods of using magnetic nanoparticles to study the movement of cells in the body. The technique could help move stem cell therapies closer to reality.

The Canadian Health Research Awards will be held tonight in Ottawa at the National Gallery of Canada. The event is hosted by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), in collaboration with the Health Charities Coalition of Canada, Research Canada - An Alliance for Health Discovery and other health research organizations.

The event will be attended by Canada's leading health researchers as well as Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of CIHR. André Picard, an award-winning journalist for the event's national media sponsor, the Globe and Mail, will host the awards.

"It is important for us to acknowledge the ways in which health researchers and their work impact our lives. They are producing today the knowledge and technology that we will need tomorrow," said Dr. Beaudet. "By fostering an environment that rewards researchers, we are helping build a foundation for economic growth and improved health care."

The following individuals and organizations are among those to be recognized for their outstanding contributions to improving the health of Canadians:

- Dr. Michael Hayden (Professor, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia) is the recipient of the CIHR Michael Smith Prize in Health Research - Canada's Health Researcher of the Year (Biomedical and Clinical Research). This award recognizes innovation, creativity, leadership and dedication to health research. Dr. Hayden is a groundbreaking researcher in the area of Huntington's disease (HD), most notably having developing a predictive genetic test for HD.

- Dr. Peter Tugwell (Director, Centre for Global Health; Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa) is the recipient of the CIHR Michael Smith Prize in Health Research - Canada's Health Researcher of the Year (Health Services and Systems and Population Health Research). Dr. Tugwell is a leader in the fight against global health disparities, developing strategies for assessing quality of life, improving teaching methods in medicine, and knowledge translation.

- Dr. Charles Cunningham (Scientist, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre) is the recipient of the Peter Lougheed/CIHR New Investigator Award - Canada's Premier Young Researcher. This award is given to Canada's brightest young health researchers at the beginning of their careers. Dr. Cunningham's research has focused on ways to expand the capabilities of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and improve this life-saving technology.

- Drs. Matthew Tennant (Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alberta), Mark Greve (Acting Chair and Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alberta), and Christopher Rudnisky (Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alberta) are the national winners of the CIHR Knowledge Translation Award. This award recognizes an exceptional individual or team currently involved in a collaborative health research or development project that aims to advance and expand the understanding of knowledge translation. Through the Tele-Ophthalmology group based at Alberta Health Services (Edmonton), these doctors are improving the eye care for people living in remote and rural regions of Canada. They focus particularly on using computer software to analyze a patient's eyes in an effort to make health-care more accessible and affordable.

- Ms. Dawn McKenna (Executive Director, Down Syndrome Research Foundation) is the recipient of the CIHR Partnership Award. This award recognizes partnerships that bring health research communities together to create innovative approaches to important research questions. The Down Syndrome Research Foundation (DSRF) has had a tremendous impact on people with Down's syndrome and their families. Due to the vision of its founders and leaders, DSRF has created a variety of resources and serves as an outstanding model of research partnership and collaboration.

- Ms. Rose Geransar (PhD Candidate, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary) is the recipient of the CIHR Douglas Kinsella Doctoral Award for Research in Bioethics. This award honours the accomplishments of Dr. T. Douglas Kinsella in bioethics and his lifelong promotion of the ethical treatment of humans in research. Ms. Geransar is working to develop recommendations around consent to the use of human blood and tissue in clinical therapy and health research.

- Dr. Etienne Gagnon (PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School) is the recipient of the BIOTECanada - Schering Plough Canada - CIHR Fellowship Award. This award honours the leadership CIHR has shown toward the health research community in Canada. Dr. Gagnon is part of a growing research field known as cancer immunology, and his postdoctoral studies could dramatically improve our understanding of how our bodies outwit disease.

- Dr. Sarah Flicker (Assistant Professor, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University) and Ms. Crystal Layne (Research Coordinator, Planned Parenthood Toronto) are the recipients of the CIHR Synapse Youth Mentorship Award. This award recognizes the efforts of a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow who has made exceptional efforts to promote health research among Canada's high school students. Dr. Flicker and Ms. Layne aimed to determine what gaps exist in sexual health education among Toronto youth through the Toronto Teen Survey (TTS).

For a complete list of award recipients, please visit the CIHR website http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

CIHR is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to catalyze its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to nearly 12,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada.

Source
David Coulombe
CIHR Media Specialist
http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca