| For immediate release - | 2002-32 |
VANCOUVER (December 2, 2002) - Dr. Alan Bernstein, President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and an internationally renowned molecular biologist will deliver the inaugural Alan Bernstein Distinguished Lectureship for 2002 at St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver. Dr. Bernstein has made key contributions to our understanding of embryonic development, hematopoiesis, cancer and formation of the cardiovascular system. His work has also been important in advancing techniques for gene therapy and the genetic analysis of mammalian development.
The Lectureship is the first of a series of lectures presented by the UBC McDonald Research Laboratories/iCAPTUR4E Centre at St. Paul's Hospital, part of Providence Health Care, to provide iCAPTUR4E researchers and trainees with the opportunity to learn from recognized leading Canadian researchers. Dr. Bernstein's presentation entitled "Genetics and Genomic Approaches to Vascular Development and Hematopoiesis" will be held on December 6, 2002, from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in the New Lecture Theatre at St. Paul's Hospital.
"As a major teaching and research hospital, we are a centre for innovation and the exchange of ideas, and this lectureship reflects our deep commitment to this tradition of shared learning," said Carl Roy, President and CEO of Providence Health Care.
"We see this Lectureship as an exciting step in highlighting the scientific achievements of Canadian scientists, in celebrating health research in the Vancouver community, and in inspiring our researchers and trainees," said Dr. Bruce McManus, Co-Director of the iCAPTUR4E Centre and Scientific Director of CIHR's Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH). Added Dr. Peter Pare, Co-Director of the iCAPTUR4E Centre, "The Lectureship gives iCAPTUR4E researchers and trainees the opportunity to be exposed to one of Canada's most respected researchers and scientific leaders. Dr. Bernstein's pioneering work in the area of cancer, hematopoiesis and gene therapy remains a landmark."
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Note: Media are requested to meet at the St. Paul's Hospital, Information Desk by 11:30 a.m.
For more information contact:
| Ms. Melanie Hanson Coordinator, Scientific Affairs The iCAPTUR4E Centre / McDonald Research Laboratories Phone: 604-806-8328 |
Mr. Gavin Wilson Communications Providence Health Care Phone: 604-806-8583 Pager: 604-667-4397 |
Ms. Janet Weichel McKenzie CIHR Communications Phone: 613-941-4563 http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/ |
Background Information:
The iCAPTUR4E Centre builds on a 25-year legacy of health research begun by Drs. Jim Hogg and Peter Pare when they moved to Vancouver from McGill University in 1977. The iCAPTUR4E Centre now has nearly 200 personnel, including 24 nationally funded principal investigators, and numerous trainees and staff members working to solve the unknowns of heart, lung, and blood vessel diseases. The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the BC Knowledge Development Fund and their partners have awarded over $20 million to The iCAPTUR4E Centre / UBC McDonald Research Laboratories at St. Paul's Hospital for infrastructure that will help propel the team to a new level of discovery.
Dr. Bernstein received his PhD in Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto in 1972. Following postdoctoral work at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories in London (UK), he joined the Ontario Cancer Institute and the University of Toronto in 1974. He has been a Professor of Molecular and Medical Genetics since 1984. In 1985, Dr. Bernstein moved to Mount Sinai Hospital as Head of Molecular and Developmental Biology of the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute. He became Director in 1994, a position he held until June 2000, when he was appointed the inaugural President of CIHR.
Dr. Alan Bernstein is known internationally both as a researcher and as a scientific leader. His pioneering research in the area of cancer, hematopoiesis, and gene therapy remain landmarks in their field. He has also made key contributions to our understanding of embryonic development and formation of the cardiovascular system, and his work has been important in advancing techniques for gene therapy and the genetic analysis of mammalian development. He is the author of 200 refereed articles.
About the iCAPTUR4E Centre:
The purpose of the UBC McDonald Research Laboratories/iCAPTUR4E Centre at St. Paul's Hospital is to link recent breakthroughs in genetic sciences and an understanding of multiple environments to abnormal gene expression and to changes in the structure and function (phenotype) of cells, tissues, and organs in model systems and in people related to the development of heart, lung, and blood vessel diseases.
About the Canadian Institutes of Health Research:
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research is Canada's premier agency for funding health research. Its objective is to excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened health care system.
