OTTAWA (September 1, 2006) - Dr. Alan Bernstein, President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), announced today the appointment of Dr. Pierre Chartrand of the Université de Montréal as incoming Vice-President of Research, CIHR. This appointment is effective September 5, 2006.
"We are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Chartrand join the CIHR executive team," said Dr. Bernstein. "His research experience and leadership establishing the new Institut de Recherche en Immunologie et en Cancérologie at the Université de Montréal, speaks to Dr. Chartrand's excellence as both a scientist and a scientific leader. Dr. Chartrand will be working closely with CIHR's 13 institutes and the research community in addressing the observations from the International Review Panel who conducted CIHR's first external review."
Prior to his appointment, Dr. Chartrand was the Chief Executive Officer, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer and a Full Professor, Department of Pathology and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, at the Université de Montréal. Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Chartrand has also been a member of the board of the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ) from 1999 to 2006. Between 1999-2003, he reorganized and headed up the FRSQ's Cancer Network, which became, under his leadership, one of the strongest networks of the FRSQ.
"I am extremely excited to be given this opportunity to serve the health research community and all Canadians," said Dr. Chartrand. "We are facing important challenges in the development of health research and its impact on health. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the research community and with our partners in meeting these challenges."
Dr. Chartrand earned a degree in microbiology and immunology from the Université de Montréal and went on to do postdoctoral training at the Institute of Virology of the Medical Research Council of Great Britain before setting up his laboratory at the Université de Sherbrooke in 1979. Between 1980 and 1988, he received Scholarships as a Scholar, and then as a Scientist, from the Medical Research Council of Canada. His research has focussed on the functional organization of the human genome in normal and cancerous cells. Between 1995 and 2001, Dr. Chartrand was Director of the Institut du cancer de Montréal.
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 for more than 10,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
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For further information:
Marie-France PoirierCIHR Media RelationsTel.: (613) 941-4563mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
