FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OTTAWA, June 8, 2017 – The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, addressed Parliamentarians and Indigenous and non-Indigenous health researchers conducting ground breaking health research at a recent Parliamentary Health Research Caucus Reception in Ottawa. Minister Bennett expressed her strong support and praise for the excellent health research conducted on behalf of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples.

The Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Health, attended the event and met with each of the health researchers who presented. She also expressed her strong appreciation for the outstanding research being conducted by Indigenous and non-Indigenous health researchers focused on Indigenous health.

 

Dr. Carrie Bourassa, the new Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s (CIHR) Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health (IAPH) presented her vision of a robust Indigenous health research endeavour in Canada focused on priorities such as child and family well-being, mental wellness and building capacity in research, communities and the health system for Indigenous Peoples.

Dr. Janet McElhaney, Vice-President of Research and Scientific Director of Health Sciences North Research Institute (HSNRI) announced ground breaking northern and Indigenous health research projects at her institution that will go a long way towards improving Indigenous Peoples’ health and well-being. HSNRI is a Research Canada Member and the event’s Diamond Sponsor.

Sponsors for this event included Health Sciences North Research Institute, Roche Diagnostics Canada and Innovative Medicines Canada among many others dedicated to advancing Indigenous health research in Canada. Visit our website for a complete list of Sponsors and more information about the event.

Minister Philpott addressed Research Canada’s 2017 AGM the following day celebrating Dr. Grant Pierce’s (University of Manitoba) excellent research on flax seeds which lower blood pressure, and Dr. Julio Montaner from the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS whose ground-breaking research has changed a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition. Minister Philpott expressed her strong support of both Drs. Pierce and Montaner’s work which reinvents healthcare and improves health outcomes.

Research Canada was pleased at its 2017 AGM to pay tribute to Senator Kelvin K. Ogilvie, Past Chair of the Parliamentary Health Research Caucus, who will be stepping down from this role and retiring from the Senate of Canada in the fall of this year. Senator Ogilvie is highly regarded as a champion for Canadian health research and innovation and is himself a scientist who discovered both the anti-viral medication, ganciclovir and the gene machine.

Research Canada was also pleased to welcome Dr. Robert McMaster, Executive Director of Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute as its new Chair and three new Board Directors–Dr. Denis Roy, President and CEO of Health Sciences North, Dr. Bradly Wouters, Executive Vice-President, Science and Research, UHN, and Ms. Andrée Dumulon, Vice President, Public Affairs and Chief Communication Officer at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

Research Canada was also pleased to welcome five new Members over the past year: AbbVie Canada, The Stem Cell Network, the Elisabeth Bruyère Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster University.

 

 

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For further information:
Sean Dillon-Fordyce
Communications Manager
Cell: 613-277-4757
E-mail: sfordyce@rc-rc.ca
www.rc-rc.ca

Research Canada is a national alliance of academic, private and public sector organizations dedicated to advancing Canadian health research and health innovation.