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For immediate release - |
2005-17 |
OTTAWA (April 21, 2005) - Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh announced today that he is recommending the re-appointment of Dr. Alan Bernstein as President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). His appointment will be referred to the Standing Committee on Health for review.
Dr. Alan Bernstein is an internationally respected health researcher, mentor and scientific leader and has made significant contributions as a researcher of gene therapy, cancer, and blood development. He has won numerous awards, including the McLaughlin Medal of the Royal Society of Canada, the Genetics Society of Canada Award of Excellence and the 2001 Australian Society of Medical Research Medal, and is an Officer of the Order of Canada.
"The Government of Canada takes great pride in what CIHR has been able to achieve in five short years under Dr. Bernstein's exceptional leadership. CIHR has played a vital role in the transformation of Canada's health research landscape through a research agenda that is responsive to the health issues and concerns of Canadians and positions Canada internationally as an innovator in health research", said Minister Dosanjh.
Minister Dosanjh added, "Today more health researchers are being funded with higher levels of funding in more disciplines and at more institutions than ever before. We are already seeing the payoffs from our investment in CIHR. Canadian researchers have made breakthroughs in areas such as heart disease, diabetes and ALS, and they have developed new approaches to prevention and care, designed to strengthen our health care system. As CIHR moves forward, it will continue to build a Canadian health research community that is a world leader, able to deliver the outcomes that matter most to Canadians - better health, a stronger and sustainable health care system, and a more prosperous economy."
CIHR is Canada's lead federal health research agency supporting close to 10,000 health researchers and trainees in universities, academic health centres, and research centres across the country. CIHR's mandate 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 Canadian health care system.
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For media assistance contact:
Janet Weichel McKenzie
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Tel: (613) 447-4794
Adèle Blanchard
Office of the Honourable Ujjal Dosanjh
Tel: (613) 957-0200
