Dr. Alan Bernstein is the inaugural President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canada's lead agency for the support of health research. An internationally respected researcher, mentor and scientific leader, he has made key contributions to our understanding of embryonic development, hematopoiesis and cancer. Prior to his appointment at CIHR in 2000, he was Director of Research at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital from 1994-2000 and Professor in the Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics at the University of Toronto, where he is a Senior Fellow, Massey College. Dr. Bernstein has received numerous awards, including the McLaughlin Medal of the Royal Society of Canada, the Genetics Society of Canada Award of Excellence, the 2001 Australian Society of Medical Research Medal, and the Order of Canada in 2002.