Senior Management Team
Executive Vice-President
Christine Fitzgerald
In her capacity as Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Christine Fitzgerald is responsible for providing strategic advice to the President, management leadership to the Scientific Directors of CIHR's 13 research Institutes and Vice-Presidents on corporate policies and cross-cutting administrative issues, and for bringing substantive and strategic advice to CIHR's Governing Council. Christine also has administrative responsibilities related to strategic planning and corporate policy, information technology and management services, corporate performance reporting and analysis, parliamentary and corporate relations and governance.
Christine brings over 25 years of experience in the health sector during which she held a number of senior management positions. Christine is fluent in French and English and holds a Masters in Health Service Administration degree from Dalhousie University, and an undergraduate degree from Acadia University.
Email: christine.fitzgerald@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
Vice-President, Knowledge Translation and Public Outreach
Dr. Ian Graham
Dr. Ian Graham is Vice-President of the Knowledge Translation and Public Outreach Portfolio at Canadian Institutes of Health Research. At CIHR, he is responsible for knowledge translation, partnerships and citizen engagement, communication and public outreach, and pan-institute affairs and initiatives. Dr Graham is on leave from his position as Associate Professor in the School of Nursing, University of Ottawa and Senior Social Scientist in the Clinical Epidemiology Program of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. He holds cross-appointments in the Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology & Community Medicine and is an adjunct associate professor in the School of Nursing at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario. Dr. Graham obtained a B.A. in sociology from McGill University, an M.A. in sociology from the University of Victoria, and a PhD in medical sociology from McGill University. Dr. Graham's research has largely focused on knowledge translation (the process of research use) and conducting applied research on strategies to increase implementation of research findings and evidence-based practice. He has also advanced KT science through the developed two planned action models, the Ottawa Model of Research Use and more recently the Knowledge to Action Model, as well as the Practice Guideline Evaluation and Adaptation Cycle. Specific research projects have related to the adaptation, implementation, and quality appraisal of clinical practice guidelines, as well as the uptake of guidelines and decision support tools by practitioners. He has published over 200 peer reviewed papers. He is co-editor of Knowledge Translation in Health Care published by Wiley-Blackwell (2009).
Email: ian.graham@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
Chief Scientific Officer and Vice-President, Research
Dr. Jane E. Aubin
As Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Jane E. Aubin oversees scientific affairs at CIHR and provides expert advice on matters relevant to science and technology, potential opportunities and emerging orientations and trends in the national and international health research community. As Vice-President, Research Portfolio, she is also responsible for all aspects of adjudication of grants and awards at CIHR, and finally, as a member of the Science Council, she participates in the development, implementation and reporting on CIHR's research and knowledge translation strategy.
Dr. Aubin is currently a member of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, where she is Professor of Molecular Genetics and the Director of the Bone Program in the Centre for Modeling Human Disease. She has been Scientific Director and CEO of the Canadian Arthritis Network of Centres of Excellence and, for the past four years, Scientific Director of CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA). During her time as Scientific Director of IMHA, Dr. Aubin has shown outstanding leadership qualities and an unwavering commitment to working with others to improve the health and quality of life of patients with arthritis, musculoskeletal, oral and skin conditions.
Dr. Aubin received a B.Sc. (Hons; Chemistry and Mathematics) and the Gold Medal in Chemistry at Queen's University in Kingston. She then completed her Ph.D. in Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. She later did her postdoctoral training in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Goettingen, Germany.
Email: VPResearch@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
Chief Financial Officer and Vice-President, Resource Planning and Management
James Roberge
James Roberge is the Chief Financial Officer and Vice-President, Resource Planning and Management Portfolio (RPM) of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Upholding this title since January 2007, James is responsible for the financial and corporate planning and reporting as well as financial operations and monitoring and procurement for the organization.
James started his career in finance with the Department of Supply and Services. Since then, he has held positions with Industry Canada, including executive positions with Technology Partnerships Canada. More recently, he was the Director General, Finance with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. James came to CIHR from the Office of the Comptroller General (Treasury Board Secretariat) where, in his capacity as Executive Director, he supported the Federal Accountability Action Plan's Senior Committee on the Review of the Financial Management Policy Framework.
James is both a Certified Management Accountant and a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. In addition, he has Masters Degrees in Public Administration from Queen's University and Economics from Carleton University.
