| For immediate release-- |
2007-29 |
TORONTO (July 9, 2007) - Mr. Bechara Saab, a graduate student at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital and PhD candidate within the Department of Molecular & Medical Genetics of University of Toronto, has become the first person to receive the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Synapse Award - Graduate Student / Postdoctoral Fellow.
The award, which is worth $5,000, 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. Through mentorship, the winner regularly motivates youth to consider both the value of health research as well career opportunities that exist within various scientific fields. The winner is nominated by someone who understands his/her direct scientific contributions to young people, and is chosen by the members of the CIHR Youth Outreach Advisory Board.
Mr. Saab specializes in biomedical research and has encouraged youth to appreciate the value of health research through school visits and hands-on training workshops organized by the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute's SciHigh and other youth outreach programs.
"All health researchers should get involved in generating interest in science amongst young Canadians," says Dr. Alan Bernstein, President of CIHR. "Mr. Saab's direct, personal engagement has inspired young people to focus their lives on science. Conveying the exciting benefits of health research is essential if we are going to awaken young people to the potential for science to change their lives."
CIHR's Synapse - Youth Connection initiative acts as a meeting place, a scientific junction that brings together health researchers and young students. More than 2,000 CIHR-funded health researchers from across the country have already signed up to become CIHR Synapse mentors. Synapse, in collaborative partnership with national science outreach organizations, connects these mentors with high school students through hands-on training experience that will help create the next generation of Canadian health researchers.
"Mr. Saab is an asset to mentorship," says Dr. Stephen Lye, Associate Director, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute. "By educating youth through accessible workshops and hands-on training like our SciHigh program, Bechara is helping young Canadians learn about science and health research on a variety of levels. He inspires youth to think about the benefits of health research and understand the value of scientific careers. At the Lunenfeld, we are pleased that CIHR's Synapse initiative takes all of this into consideration - Bechara is most deserving of this notable award."
Mr. Saab's award is one of three related to mentorship through CIHR's Synapse initiative. Dr. John H. McLean, from Memorial University of Newfoundland, won the Synapse Award - Individual Researcher and the Laboratoire d'Organogénèse Expérimentale, affiliated with Laval University, won the Synapse Award - Research Group.
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About the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (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 more than 11,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada. www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca
About Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute
The Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital, a University of Toronto affiliated research centre, established in 1985, is one of the world's leading centres in biomedical research. 32 principal investigators lead research in diabetes, cancer biology, epidemiology, stem cell research, women's and infants' health, neurobiology and systems biology. For more information on the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, please visit http://www.mshri.on.ca/
For more information go to SciHigh
For More Information:
David Coulombe
CIHR Media Relations
Tel.: 613-941-4563
E-mail: mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
Nikki Luscombe
Communications Specialist
Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute
Tel: 416-586-4800 ext. 2046
E-mail: luscombe@mshri.on.ca
