IAB Members - Biographies
(September 2005 - August 2006)
Paul R. Goodyer, MD (Chair)
Professor, Pediatrics and Human Genetics,
Montreal Children's Hospital
Director, Division of Pediatric Nephrology,
McGill University Health Centre
Dr. Paul R. Goodyer was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and earned his MD degree at the University of Rochester in 1972. He then completed a residency in pediatrics at Montreal Children's Hospital (McGill University) and Children's Hospital Medical Centre (Harvard University). His residency was followed by a clinical fellowship in pediatric nephrology at Montreal General and Montreal Children's Hospitals and a research fellowship at Montreal Children's Hospital. Dr. Goodyer is currently a Professor of Pediatrics and Human Genetics at Montreal Children's Hospital and the Director of the Division of Pediatric Nephrology at McGill University Health Centre. He is the recipient of the Sessenwein Research Award (1998-2003) and is a member of numerous international scientific societies. Dr. Goodyer's research program seeks to understand the molecular basis of genetic mutations in kidney development and is supported by several peer-reviewed operating grants. He is currently principal investigator on two CIHR-funded projects, one that investigates the regulation of EGF receptor in kidney development and another that examines the function of PAX genes in kidney development.
Dr. Laurie Anderson
Scientist
US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Affiliate Professor of Epidemiology
University of Washington
Dr. Laurie Anderson is a scientist with the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and an affiliate professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington.
She received a master's degree in public health in 1990, with a concentration in epidemiology, from Emory University and a Ph.D. in public health in 1994 from the University of California.
Dr. Anderson's work at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has focused on chronic disease epidemiology and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Since 1998, she has led systematic reviews of evidence synthesis for the US Task Force on Community Preventive in the areas of public health nutrition and obesity prevention and control. Her research has also focused on understanding sociocultural determinants of health inequalities.
Dr. Anderson is a member of the Advisory Group to the Cochrane Collaboration Health Promotion & Public Health Field, and is also part of the Methodology Working Group for the Canadian Best Practices System for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control with the Public Health Agency of Canada. She has served on the Obesity Expert Reference Group of the Canadian Population Health Initiative for the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
Lise Dubois, DtP, PhD
Associate Professor,
Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine
University of Ottawa
Dr. Lise Dubois holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in nutrition and population health at the University of Ottawa's Institute of Population Health and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine. A nutritionist and sociologist, Dr. Dubois was previously an associate professor at Laval University, where she earned her PhD. Dr. Dubois' special research interests include social determinants of health, child development, obesity and nutrition, the social aspects connected to nutrition and health, surveys of populations and indicators of health, and nutrition policy. In 2002, she conducted the first nutrition survey on preschool children in Canada. She is currently studying data gathered in Canada and other developed countries to determine the social factors contributing to social inequalities in nutrition and health. Dr. Dubois is also examining the diets of children, adults and seniors with a view to reducing health problems affected by diet inequalities. Dr. Dubois is a member of numerous professional societies, including the Ordre Professionel des Diététistes du Québec (OPDQ) and the Association internationale des sociologues de langue française (AISLF).
Dr. Robert Haché
Vice Dean Research, Faculty of Medicine
Professor
Departments of Medicine, Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology
University of Ottawa
Senior Scientist, Ottawa Health Research Institute
Dr. Robert Haché is Vice Dean of Research in the Faculty of Medicine and a professor in the Departments of Medicine, Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Ottawa. He is also a Senior Scientist in the Hormones, Growth and Development Program of the Ottawa Health Research Institute at the University of Ottawa.
Dr. Haché obtained his bachelor of science degree, with a major in biochemistry, from McGill University (1981) and completed his PhD degree in biochemistry (1987) at Queen's University. He received postdoctoral fellowship training in Marburg, Germany, with financial support from a Medical Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship, and joined staff at the University of Ottawa in 1990. Dr. Haché has since received a CIHR/Cancer Research Society New Investigator award and a CIHR Investigator award.
Dr. Haché's major research interests include investigation of the molecular mechanisms of steroid hormone signaling with a specific focus on signaling by glucocorticoid hormones acting through the glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors. One goal of his research is to understand, at a molecular level, the contribution of glucocorticoids to the differentiation of preadipocytes into mature fat cells.
He has been part of grant advisory panels for the National Cancer Institute of Canada, the Cancer Research Society Inc, the Arthritis Society and MRC/CIHR.
John Harnett, MD
Professor, Medicine (Nephrology),
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Co-Chair, Research Council, Kidney Foundation of Canada
John Harnett is Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) with Memorial University of Newfoundland. He is involved in cardiovascular and renal research and has been funded by the Kidney Foundation of Canada. He has also served as a grant reviewer for The Arthritis Society. He is currently co-chair of Memorial University's Research Ethics Board. Dr. Harnett's current research portfolio includes clinical trials in renal transplantation, dialysis and chronic renal disease. Future interests involve study in the advancement of telemedicine and research ethics. Dr. Harnett's research background includes work on the prognosis of heart disease in dialysis patients, exploring risk factors of echocardiographic and clinical heart disease in dialysis subjects and genetic renal disease. Currently serving as Research Council Co-Chair for the Kidney Foundation of Canada, Dr. Harnett is committed to helping those Canadians who suffer from kidney failure and related disorders.
Murray Huff, PhD
Director
Vascular Biology Research Group
Robarts Research Institute
Dr. Murray W. Huff is a scientist and Director of the Vascular Biology Research Group at Robarts Research Institute and a Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario (UWO). He received a PhD in Biochemistry from UWO and completed post-doctoral training at the Baker Medical Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia.
Dr. Huff is an expert in the kinetic analysis of lipoprotein metabolism and has elucidated the mechanism of action of cholesterol lowering drugs, including statins, inhibitors of cholesterol absorption, cholesterol esterification (ACAT) and the apical sodium bile acid co-transporter.
Dr. Huff receives peer-reviewed funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario (HSFO). He has published over 90 peer-reviewed papers, and his research has been recognized by over 50 invited presentations in the past 5 years. Dr. Huff is involved in clinical research in the areas of lipoprotein risk factors for coronary heart disease -- and is currently chair of the CIHR Metabolism Grant Review Committee.
Janet Hux, MD, SM, FRCP (C)
Assistant Professor, Departments of Medicine and of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
Staff Physician, general internal medicine, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre
Scientist, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
Dr. Janet Hux is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Medicine and of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto and a staff physician in general internal medicine at Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre. As well, she is a scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), helping to develop Ontario's portion of the National Diabetes Surveillance System, a national registry of diabetes cases. Dr. Hux earned her medical degree from the University of Toronto and completed her internal medicine training at the Universities of Western Ontario and Toronto. She holds a Master of Science in Chemistry from the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Science in Epidemiology from Harvard University. The first recipient in 1994 of the ICES Adam Linton fellowship in health services research, Dr. Hux was also awarded an Ontario Ministry of Health Career Scientists award in 1998, which for the past five years has supported her research evaluating health services for diabetes. Dr. Hux's wide-ranging research interests include examining patterns of diabetes care in Ontario, using administrative data to make comparisons over time and across regions. Initial findings from this work have been disseminated to policy makers and providers in the form of a practice atlas called Diabetes in Ontario. Having identified care gaps in the delivery of diabetes services in the province, Dr. Hux is now undertaking a more detailed exploration of the causes for those gaps. Other work includes the design and evaluation of interventions aimed at improving the delivery of diabetes care.
Naana Afua Jumah, D.Phil
First Year Medical Student
Harvard Medical School
Dr. Naana Afua Jumah is a first year medical student at Harvard Medical School. In 2001, she completed a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto and in 2004 she completed her D.Phil. in Medical Engineering at the University of Oxford.
Dr. Jumah’s research has focused on targeted drug delivery technology for which she has been the recipient of many awards including a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Undergraduate Research Award and a Rhodes Scholarship. She has been involved in numerous healthy lifestyle programmes focusing on Aboriginal and immigrant/refugee youth through the Regional Multicultural Youth Council in Northwestern Ontario.
Dr. Jumah is also a role model in a science promotion campaign with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council in the United Kingdom. Her particular interest is promoting science education to young women.
Harriet Kuhnlein, MD, PhD
Professor, Human Nutrition, McGill University
Chair, International Union of Nutritional Sciences' Task Force on Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems and Nutrition
Dr. Harriet Kuhnlein is Professor of Human Nutrition at McGill University in Montreal. A registered dietitian, Kuhnlein earned her M.S. in nutrition at Oregon State University and her PhD in nutritional sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. During her career she has held the positions of assistant and associate professor at the University of British Columbia, served as Director of the School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition at McGill University, and is Founding Director of the Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment (CINE) at McGill. Dr. Kuhnlein's research centres on the traditional food resources and health of Indigenous Peoples, both in North America and around the world. She works in partnership with indigenous communities to identify food resources, to define how traditional food is prepared and preserved and to determine factors influencing food use and patterns of consumption, including those foods imported through market networks. She also assesses Indigenous Peoples' nutritional health status, develops health promotion materials, and investigates nutrients and contaminants in their natural food resources. Dr. Kuhnlein is currently Principal Investigator for a CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes Global Health grant to assess Indigenous Peoples' food systems for the purpose of health promotion. Dr. Kuhnlein is the author of several books about traditional food sources for Aboriginal populations, has been a consultant for the United Nations Programs in Nutrition and has been a member of several boards, including the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board's Subcommittee on Nutrition Assessment. She chairs the Task Force on Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems and Nutrition of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences.
Jon Meddings, MD, FRCP(C)
Professor, Medicine, University of Calgary
University and Regional Divisional Head,
Gastroenterology, Calgary
Jon Meddings is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Calgary and is both the University and Regional Divisional Head of Gastroenterology in Calgary. He is currently funded as an Alberta Heritage Foundation Medical Research Senior Research Scholar and is the 2004 recipient of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology's Research Excellence Award. The focus of Dr. Medding's research is on abnormalities of intestinal permeability and their relationship to disease. He is particularly interested in celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease. Jon's work has been and is currently supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada.
Douglas G. Philp
Lay representative
Senior Consultant, IBM Business Consulting Services
Mr. Douglas G. Philp is a Senior Consultant with IBM Business Consulting Services and is a past National President of the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA). Mr. Philp has a unique combination of consulting business experience and a strong commitment to volunteer leadership in diabetes. With more than sixteen years of volunteer experience, he has participated in operational and leadership roles at the local, provincial, national and international levels of one of the largest health charities in Canada. He has served on the National Board of Directors of the CDA and has held the positions of National President, Vice-President and Secretary. Mr. Philp is an engineering technologist with consultant and project management training from PwC and IBM. As an individual with Type I diabetes, he is a strong advocate for innovation and excellence in research that will ultimately have an impact on both the healthcare system and individual Canadians living with diabetes. Mr. Philp recognizes the need to ensure that health care consumers understand research and that the results of research translate into better healthcare delivery and health outcomes.
Kim Raine, PhD, RD
Director/Professor, Centre for Health Promotion Studies,
University of Alberta
Professor, Department of Agricultural,
Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta
Dr. Kim Raine is currently Professor and Director in the Centre for Health Promotion Studies with a cross-appointment in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutrition Science at the University of Alberta. Dr. Raine received her PhD in Education from Dalhousie University in 1993 and is a registered Dietitian. From 1991-97, she held faculty appointments in the Department of Human Ecology at Mount Saint Vincent University. Her interdisciplinary research interests span health promotion, community nutrition and social and cultural determinants of health and professional development within health systems. She has built an internationally recognized program of research that has contributed to knowledge development regarding the social determinants of health. Dr. Raine has worked with the Canadian Heart Health Initiative since 1988, and is currently Co-principal Investigator of the Alberta Heart Health Project, funded by CIHR. Her research into social determinants of health inequities, through nationally funded projects, has been shared extensively with community and professional leaders and has informed health policy. Dr. Raine's research program has been recognized by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research with a prestigious five-year Health Scholar Award.
Eve Roberts, MD, FRCP(C)
Senior Scientist/Gastroenterologist,
The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute
Professor, Pediatrics, Medicine and Pharmacology,
University of Toronto
Chair/CEO, Canadian Liver Foundation
Dr. Eve Roberts is a Senior Scientist and Gastroenterologist with The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute and specializes in the study of metabolism. She is also a Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine and Pharmacology with the University of Toronto. The focus of Dr. Roberts's research concerns childhood liver diseases where a metal, such as copper or iron, damages liver cells. Although copper is essential for the normal function of numerous critically important enzymes in humans, it is toxic in excess. Likewise, iron is normally found in the liver of newborns but in some conditions hepatic iron deposition is increased and liver damage occurs. As a member of a team focusing on metabolism research, Dr. Roberts' strives to find novel and innovative therapies to treat effectively a variety of liver disorders in children, including Wilson disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Dr. Roberts is Chair and CEO of the Canadian Liver Foundation which raises funds to support research and education to reduce the risks, enhance understanding and explore new treatments and possible cures of liver disease.
Sylvie Robichaud-Ekstrand, PhD
Network Director and Coordinator
School of Nursing
University of Moncton
Dr. Sylvie Robichaud-Ekstrand is currently the network director and coordinator for the School of Nursing at the University of Moncton.
In 1982, Dr. Robichaud-Ekstrand received her Bachelor degree in Science from the University of Ottawa. In 1986 she obtained a Master of Science degree, with a specialty in Nursing, from the University of Toronto. In 1993, she received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the Université de Montréal.
Her current research program aims at developing and evaluating cognitive, affective and behavioural novel approaches to assist individuals with manifest disease or at high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) to adopt healthier lifestyles. Nurse- and interdisciplinary-led interventions are evaluated for the primary and secondary prevention of CVD among adults.
Dr. Robichaud-Ekstrand is a recognized exercise specialist from the American College of Sports Medicine. From 1999 to 2001, she was the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation Scientific Officer for Nursing, where she acquired experience with multi jurisdictional and national research dealing with health services.
Dr. Robichaud-Ekstrand has obtained prestigious research career scientist awards (1995-2000) to develop nursing research, from the Medical Research Council and the National Health Research and Development Program.
Gregory Taylor, BSc, MD, CCFP, FRCPC
Director
Chronic Disease Prevention Division
Public Health Agency of Canada
Dr. Gregory Taylor is the Director of the Chronic Disease Prevention Division and Acting Director of the Evidence and Information for Chronic Disease Policy Division at the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control (CCDPC), Public Health Agency of Canada.
Dr. Taylor obtained his medical degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax where he also completed a family medicine residency. After several years in active primary care in Ontario, he completed a fellowship in Community Medicine at the University of Ottawa and joined Health Canada’s Laboratory Centre for Disease Control.
His responsibilities cover all aspects of chronic disease prevention from a country wide perspective including screening and early detection. He also directs the Agency’s Grants and Contributions program for the national component of the Canadian Diabetes Strategy and the Canadian Breast Cancer Initiative. His acting duties have expanded his responsibilities to include leading the non-Aboriginal component of the Agency’s Canadian Diabetes Strategy, and lead the development of two new innovative programs for the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, including Knowledge Translation and Best Practises. He maintains his connection with the University of Ottawa as assistant professor of Epidemiology and Community Medicine.
Dilys Williams
Medical Advisor
Cardiovascular/Diabetes Portfolio
AstraZeneca Canada Inc.
Ms. Dilys Williams is a Medical Advisor for the Cardiovascular/Diabetes portfolio in the Medical Affairs department at AstraZeneca Canada Inc. She has over 20 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry in various capacities (clinical, regulatory, quality assurance, commercial) with several leading pharmaceutical companies.
Ms. Williams completed a B.Sc. in pharmacology at the University of Toronto (1977) and a Master of Business Administration from York University (1986). She is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree at the University of Manchester in pharmacy/pharmaceutical sciences to be followed by a Ph.D.
Ms. Williams is currently advising on the clinical development of two products, one in the cardiovascular area, the other in the treatment of diabetes, (ie: a PPAR agonist). As Medical Advisor, she is involved in the strategic and tactical plans for new products, and new indications for marketed products. For the past three years, Ms. Williams has also been the medical liaison officer managing the AstraZeneca Research Fellowships awards programme with the Heart and Stroke Foundation.