Video Introduction by Dr. Bernstein

When I was a third-year undergraduate trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life, I was very fortunate to bump into Dr. Harold Johns, who - I did not know it at the time - was one of Canada's great biophysicist and cancer researcher. Harold spent three hours with me, talking about the excitement of doing research and it changed my life.

At that point, I decided to go into graduate work and, you know, the rest is history. So, ever since then, I decided that if I had the opportunity - which I've now had many - of talking to young people about the importance and excitement of science, I would jump at that opportunity.

So, at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, we think one of our most important tasks is to train the next generation of researchers. And one of the best ways to do that, of course, is to excite the very best young minds in Canada to choose a career in science. So, how do you do that? The best way to do that, and I think this is obvious, is to place a living, breathing scientist in front of young kids, and have them - you, us - talk about the excitement, the importance, the reward, the fun of doing research.

The Science with Impact Program, and other programs that we're going to be rolling out in the next few years, I think, will hopefully be key to turning young kids on to a career in science, just as it has for me and for all of you. About ten years ago, a young guy came up to me, as a clinical scientist, and said: "You know, Dr. Bernstein, the reason I went into science was because of that class you gave in Mr. Fleming's course on risk and probability." You never know whose lives you're going to affect and, hopefully, in a positive way.

So, just to sum up, my strong advice is, whenever you have an opportunity to talk to lay people, particularly young people, about the importance and the excitement of science, jump at it, create those opportunities, nothing could be more rewarding, nothing could be more satisfying than, I think, turning young kids on to science.