Outstanding health research achievements are celebrated

Ottawa, ON – The federal government has announced the recipients of the 2011 Canadian Health Research Awards. The awards will be presented at a special ceremony this evening in Ottawa, hosted by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Prix Galien Canada.

The recipients are as follows:

Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year:
Dr Paul Kubes from the University of Calgary has been named Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year for his work in examining the role that leukocytes play in preventing and reversing sepsis – a potentially fatal condition in which the blood becomes infected by harmful bacteria.

The Peter Lougheed/CIHR New Investigator Salary Award:
Dr Kate Shannon from the University of British Columbia and BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS has received The Peter Lougheed/CIHR New Investigator Salary Award for her groundbreaking research on the impact of prostitution laws on health outcomes.

CIHR Knowledge Translation Award:
Dr Geoffrey Fong from the University of Waterloo has received the CIHR Knowledge Translation Award for his work on evaluating and helping to strengthen tobacco control policies throughout the world.

CIHR Partnership Award:
The Nova Scotia Food Security Network and the Participatory Action Research and Training Centre on Food Security has received the CIHR Partnership Award for its work to help communities and policy makers develop better food policies and improve food security in Nova Scotia.

“Each of the award recipients has achieved exceptional impact through their work,” said
Dr Alain Beaudet, president of CIHR. “Their accomplishments reflect Canada’s strong and diverse health research community and the positive outcomes that are improving the health and quality of life of Canadians.”