NRC announces recipient of HL Holmes Award

Ottawa, ON June 18, 2003 Canada’s National Research Council (NRC) has announced the recipient of its prestigious HL Holmes Award for Post-Doctoral Studies. Dr Arthur Carty, NRC president, conferred the award on Dr Alison Allan, during the Canadian Federation of Biological Societies (CFBS) Annual Meeting opening ceremony held in Ottawa. Dr Allan will receive more than $180,000 over two years to fund research that examines an important prognostic indicator and potential therapeutic target in breast cancer patients.

“Dr Allan’s demonstrated research experience and meritorious research proposal in the development of therapeutic targets for cancer, make her the ideal recipient of the HL Holmes Award,” says Dr Arthur Carty, NRC president.

A recipient of many awards and scholarships, Dr Allan holds a PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of Guelph, where she also completed her undergraduate studies in molecular biology and genetics. Dr Allan is a postdoctoral research fellow in the laboratory of Dr Ann Chambers and Dr Alan Tuck at the London Regional Cancer Centre (LRCC) in London, ON, and is affiliated with the University of Western Ontario and London Health Sciences Centre.

The HL Holmes Award for Post-Doctoral Studies was established by NRC in honour of the late Dr HL Holmes, a Canadian chemist who bequeathed his estate to NRC in the late 1980s. It was Dr Holmes’ request that NRC use his estate to provide the best research training and experience to Canadian post-doctoral students in medical and biological fields, including the opportunity to work in excellent labs around the world. Specifically, the award is conferred on outstanding scientists interested in pursuing post-doctoral studies in chemistry, physics, biology, or mathematics related to medical and biological processes. Each award covers a one or two-year period, depending on available funding and the research proposal, and can have a monetary value of up to $100,000 per year.