Toronto researcher wins prestigious international award for bone and mineral research

Toronto, ON – Dr Jane E Aubin, scientific co-director and CEO of the Canadian Arthritis Network has received the William F Neumann Award for 2004 from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

The award recognizes Dr Aubin’s contributions to identifying bone stem cells, osteoprogenitors and characterizing their developmental pathways, to developing approaches and reagents for studying bone precursor cells and the mechanisms by which they mature to bone-forming cells, and to identifying regulatory mechanisms governing bone formation in health and bone disease. It also recognizes her many professional contributions to the field through peer review activities, advisory committees, and training and mentoring of young investigators not only in her own lab but also more widely.

Dr Aubin is professor of the department of molecular and medical genetics at the University of Toronto, where she is also cross-appointed to the department of medical biophysics, Faculty of Dentistry, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering and Institute of Medical Science. She is also a member of the collaborative PhD program in developmental biology and the Centre for Modeling Human Disease. She received an Honours BSc in chemistry and mathematics and the gold medal in chemistry from Queen’s University and a PhD in medical biophysics from the University of Toronto. Since completing postdoctoral training at the Max Planck Institute for biophysical chemistry in Goettingen, Germany, she has conducted research on skeletal development and regeneration. In 1998-99, she was the first non-American to serve as president of the ASBMR.

The William F Neuman Award is the oldest and most prestigious award of ASBMR, the premier bone and mineral research society with over 4000 members worldwide. It recognizes an ASBMR member for outstanding and major scientific contributions in the area of bone and mineral research and contributions to associates and trainees in teaching, research, and administration.