(Ottawa, October 19, 2007) – Chad Gaffield, president of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), awarded the 2007 SSHRC Gold Medal for Achievement in Research to medical anthropologist Margaret Lock of McGill University. The Council’s top prize and three other research awards were presented during a ceremony in Ottawa yesterday.
“SSHRC invests in the nation’s brightest minds,” said Gaffield. “We are very proud to honour our prize winners, whose achievements mark important contributions to international developments in science, new technologies, health policy and medical training around the world. Their work has created, and will continue to create, healthier and more prosperous communities in Canada and around the world.”
Margaret Lock is internationally regarded for her studies into the social repercussions of biomedical technologies, such as organ transplants and genetic testing. The $100,000 Gold Medal award recognizes her lifetime accomplishments, including landmark books on the East Asian medical tradition, cultural aspects of female aging and the invention of the concept of brain death.
Lock has also made significant contributions to international policies on the ethics of medical science, and her work has affected both health policy and the training of medical students in Canada and around the world. Her current research focuses on the social impact of the genetic revolution, especially in relation to the current understanding of Alzheimer’s disease.
“I’m very pleased with the way my research has been received,” says Lock. “But I’m hoping my biggest contribution will be through my teaching. I have taught hundreds of students in the social sciences and in medicine at McGill, many of whom have said my course changed the direction of their career. That’s where I feel I’m making a real and lasting contribution.”
Vinh-Kim Nguyen is this year’s winner of the Aurora Prize, which awards $25,000 to one of Canada's most promising up-and-coming researchers in the social sciences and humanities. Nguyen is an expert in the social effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and how health policies and social inequality affect access to drugs, particularly in West Africa. Nguyen is a medical anthropologist at the Université de Montréal.
Richard G. Delisle from the Unversité de Montréal received the $10,000 Postdoctoral Prize for research into theories of human evolution. Now working at the University of Chicago, Delisle will delve into current questions regarding the role and place of human beings in nature. His combined expertise in evolutionary anthropology and the philosophy of science, coupled with first-hand experience on paleontological digs, gives him a unique scholarly perspective on the topic.
Abninder Litt from the University of Waterloo received the William E. Taylor Fellowship. His doctoral work at Stanford University will use findings from neuroscience, psychology and consumer studies to look at the emotional side of decision-making. The $5,000 Fellowship is given to the student with the year’s most highly-rated SSHRC PhD proposal.
All the winners were selected by a rigorous peer-review process, and prize funds must be spent on research activities.
Last year SSHRC funded research by more than 5,000 full-time faculty members, and directly supported almost 3,000 graduate students. “These outstanding researchers are contributing new insights into the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century,” Gaffield said. “Their work will deepen our understanding of the modern world, and offer inspired, informed solutions to global issues.”
For additional information on this release and other SSHRC-supported research projects, please contact:
Eva Schacherl
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