Governing Council Member

Dr. James F. Brien

Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Queen's University

Dr. James F. Brien is Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences of the School of Medicine at Queen's University. Dr. Brien received his BSc and PhD degrees in Chemistry from the University of Windsor, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in Pharmacology at the University of Toronto. He held the position of Scientist with the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario, Kingston Centre, from 1973 to1978. Dr. Brien joined the Department of Pharmacology in the Faculty of Medicine at Queen's University as Assistant Professor in 1978, and became Full Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology in1986.

Dr. Brien has an active, multi-faceted research program in Pharmacology and Toxicology that, for over 25 years, has focused primarily on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) / Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), with particular emphasis on the brain injury of FAS / FASD and the discovery of innovative treatment strategies. His research program has been funded continuously by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). He is the recipient of the 2010 Pfizer Senior Scientist Award of the Canadian Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Dr. Brien has been involved in several functions of the CIHR, including multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary peer-review grants committees and University Delegate at Queen's.