Institute Advisory Board Members
(September 2007 - August 2008)
Victor Han, MD, FRCPC, FRCP (Chair)
Director
Child Health Research Institute
Aside from being Director of the Child Health Research Institute, Dr. Han is also a Professor of Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Biochemistry, and Anatomy and Cell Biology, at the University of Western Ontario, a CIHR University Delegate, a past MRC Scholar and Scientist, Co-Director of the CIHR Group in Fetal and Neonatal Health and Development, and a Canada Research Chair in Perinatology.
Dr. Victor Han received his medical degree from the Institute of Medicine, University of Rangoon, in 1973. He trained in Paediatrics in Universities of Southampton and Oxford, UK, and in the subspecialty in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the University of Western Ontario. He then received research training in molecular biology and biochemistry of growth factors at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, between 1983 and 1987 as an MRC Research Fellow. He has received specialist certification in Pediatrics in the United Kingdom (FRCP), Canada (FRCP) and United States (American Boards), and a sub-specialist certification in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine in United States (American Sub-Board).
Dr. Han’s research furthers the understanding of the role of insulin-like growth factors and mechanisms contributing to fetal and placental development. He has made invited presentations at over 100 national and international conferences and has published over 160 research articles in high impact journals such as Science, Endocrinology and American Journal of Physiology.
Laura Arbour, MD
Clinical Geneticist
Department of Medical Genetics
University of British Columbia
Dr. Laura Arbour is a clinical geneticist in the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree, with a specialization in biology in 1986 at the University of Windsor, and obtained a Master of Science degree, with a concentration in genetic counseling, and another Master of Science degree in genetics and biology, both at McGill University (1988). She received her medical degree at McMaster University in 1991, and conducted postdoctoral fellowship training in pediatrics (1991-94) and genetics (1994-96) at McGill University.
Dr. Arbour's broad interests connect clinical medicine, genetics and ethics. Her clinical practice and research focuses on northern and Aboriginal health issues as they pertain to genetics and child health. Her current research program includes the study of the nutrient and genetic basis of congenital heart defects in the Inuit of Nunavut, Long QT Syndrome (a hereditary heart disorder) in a Northern British Columbia community, and the Genetics of Primary Biliary Cirrhosis in Pacific Northwest Native Peoples.
Dr. Arbour has participated in several Canadian workshops, which explored participatory methods of conducting biomedical research in Aboriginal populations. She is a member of the CIHR Aboriginal Ethics Working Group, which is developing guidelines for carrying out health research in Aboriginal communities. Dr. Arbour serves on the CIHR Science Advisory Council for Rural and Northern Health Research and is on the executive councils of the Canadian Society of Circumpolar Health and the International Union of Circumpolar Health.
Robert (Bob) Armstrong
Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Pediatrics
Dr. Armstrong is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia and Head of the Department of Pediatrics and Chief, Pediatric Medicine at the BC Children’s Hospital and the BC Women’s Hospital. Dr. Armstrong completed his undergraduate medical training at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He completed his graduate training at McMaster in the Human Growth and Development Program. He completed his pediatric training at McMaster and the University of British Columbia and training in Developmental Pediatrics at McMaster University. He joined the University of British Columbia in 1987. His specific clinical interests are related to children with physical disabilities. His research is focused on understanding factors that influence the development of children and the impact that disability has on development, population-based approaches to prevention and intervention, and health services.
Dr. Armstrong is currently President of the Pediatric Chairs of Canada and Chairs the National Coalition for Child and Youth Health. He is Chair of the Steering Committee of the Center for International Child Health at BC Children’s Hospital and has had active involvement in the establishment of the Child Health Network of BC. He is a past-President of the Section of Developmental Pediatrics of the Canadian Pediatric Society and of the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. Previous positions have also included the Head of Developmental Pediatrics at UBC as well as Vice President of Medicine for the Children’s and Women’s Health Centre of BC.
Dr. Armstrong is married with three children.
Jay M. Baltz, PhDAssociate Director
Ottawa Health Research Institute
Dr. Jay M. Baltz is Associate Director of the Ottawa Health Research Institute (OHRI). He is a Senior Scientist and Head of the OHRI's Reproductive and Developmental Biology in the Hormones, Growth, and Development Program. He is also Associate Chair (Research) and professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa.
Dr. Baltz received his Bachelor of Arts in Physics (1978) from the University of Pennsylvania, and PhD in Biophysics (1986) from Johns Hopkins University. He then conducted postdoctoral training in biophysics at John Hopkins University (1986) and Harvard Medical School (1986-1991). At Harvard, he investigated control mechanisms in early embryos.
The overall goals of our research are to better understand the changing physiology of oocytes and embryos as they rapidly develop at the beginning of life, and to improve the treatment of infertility through research leading to the development of improved techniques for producing healthy oocytes and embryos. To achieve these goals, Dr. Baltz's laboratory is currently investigating transport processes, cell volume regulation, intracellular pH regulation, and other homeostatic mechanisms which help growing and maturing oocytes and preimplantation embryos.
Dr. Baltz is Director of the Program on Oocyte Health, a Strategic Initiative of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health. He has received an Ontario Premier's Research Excellence Award, a James Shannon Award from the US National Institutes of Health, and was a Medical Council of Canada Scholar.
Dr. Sandra Davidge received her PhD from the University of Vermont in 1993 and conducted her postdoctoral fellowship at the Magee Womens Research Institute/University of Pittsburgh until 1996. She is currently an Associate Professor in Obstetrics/Gynecology and Physiology at the University of Alberta and holds a Canada Research Chair in Women's Cardiovascular Health and is a Senior Scholar of the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. Dr. Davidge serves on numerous scientific committees and grants panels and is a member of several professional societies. She is a reviewer for several scientific medical journals, and funding agencies, as well as Associate Editor for the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology. Her research program encompasses studying vascular function as it relates to 1) pregnancy/pre-eclampsia, 2) hormonal status (i.e. estrogen/progesterone effects) and 3) aging. Both pre-eclampsia and aging are associated with oxidative stress and therefore this has been a focus of her studies regarding mechanisms of altered vascular function, in particular endothelial cell dysfunction. Her research was recently recognized for Excellence in Research with the Martha Cook Piper Award at the University of Alberta and the President's Scientific Achievement Award at the Society of Gynecologic Investigation meeting in March 2003.
Claire Fortier, B.Sc., MBAMs. Claire Fortier has over 20 years experience working in the charitable sector, primarily in the development and management of granting programs. Most recently, she was Vice President, Grants and Finance at SickKids Foundation in Toronto. In this role she was responsible for all aspects of the granting of funds to The Hospital for Sick Children and nationally, as well as all aspects of the financial management of the Foundation. Through the National Grants Program she oversaw the management of a $4 million budget in support of child health research across Canada.
Currently, Ms. Fortier is consulting on the development of foundations and grants programs in Canada, including the development of fundraising strategies to support these programs.
Ms. Fortier has a Bachelor of Science degree, with a major in Agricultural Economics, from McGill University (1978), and a Master of Business Administration degree from INSEAD, France (1983).
William Fraser, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Professor and Chair
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Montreal
Dr. William Fraser received his MD from Dalhousie University in 1979. He finished his residency in Family Medicine in 1981 and his speciality in Obstetrics at McGill in 1986. He did sub-speciality training in Fetal Medicine and an MSc in Epidemiology at the University of Calgary. Since August 2002, he is Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Montreal. He also works at Hospital Ste Justine as an obstetrician. He is a researcher and the Director of a research unit in perinatology at Ste Justine.
He is past-president of APOG (Association of Professors in Obstetrics & Gynecology), and the Director of STIRRHS (Strategic Training Initiative in Research in Reproductive Health Studies) funded by the CIHR. Since 2003, he is the holder of a Canadian Research Chair in Perinatal Epidemiology.
Dr. Fraser has more than 15 years of experience in directing multicentred clinical trials. His research projects are funded by the CIHR and the FRSQ.His past and present research projects examine the numerous questions and problems related to perinatology, including preeclampsia, ceasarean sections, meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS). He is an external reviewer for scientific journals such as Canadian Journal of Public Health, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Paul Glover, MBA
Director General
Safe Environments Programme
Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch
Having started his career at Health Canada in 1986, Mr. Paul Glover brings 20 years of health management experience to his role as the Director General of the Safe Environments Programme in Health Canada's Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch. There he is responsible for a wide range of science programs that identify and respond to risks to human health found in the environment. This includes science and research in the areas of drinking water, air quality, climate change, radiation and assessments of risks from environmental impacts.
Mr. Glover earned his master's degree in Business Administration from Queen's University (2002).
Mr. Glover serves on the Board of Directors of the Queensway-Carleton Hospital, the Centre for Water and the Environment at Queen's University, and the Canadian Water Network. On the international front, he is working with the United States as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine's Round Table on Health and the Environment.
Maureen Heaman
Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
Faculty of Medicine
University of Manitoba
Dr. Maureen Heaman is an associate professor in the Faculty of Nursing with a cross-appointment in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba.
Dr. Heaman obtained her bachelor of nursing degree (1978) and master of nursing degree (1987) from the University of Manitoba, and completed her PhD at the school's Interdisciplinary Program (2001). Her research interests include perinatal epidemiology and psychosocial/behavioral aspects of pregnancy. Specific projects have addressed risk factors for preterm birth, determinants of inadequate prenatal care, health behaviors in pregnancy, perception of pregnancy risk, stressors associated with bed rest for high-risk pregnancy, and home visiting to vulnerable infants/families.
Dr. Heaman has been published several times in peer-reviewed journals, and is an editorial board member for Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. She is a member of several professional associations, and recently completed a five-year term (1998-2003) as the RN representative on the Council of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC). She serves on the Maternal Health Study Group and the Maternity Experiences Study Group for the Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System (CPSS) with the Public Health Agency of Canada. Dr. Heaman is the recipient of a New Investigator award from CIHR (2003-2008). She is also a mentor for the Strategic Training Initiative in Research in Reproductive Health Sciences (STIRRHS) and the Strategic Training Program in maternal-fetal-newborn health research, both funded by CIHR.
Lucie Jeannotte, PhD
Professor
Department of Medical Biology
Université Laval
Dr. Lucie Jeannotte is a full professor in the Department of Medical Biology at Université Laval.
Dr. Jeannotte received both her B.Sc. and her M.Sc. training in Biochemistry at Université de Montréal. In 1987, she obtained her PhD in Molecular Biology at the Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal, Department of Biochemistry at Université de Montréal. Following her post-doctoral studies in Developmental Genetics at Columbia University in New York with Dr. Elizabeth J. Robertson, Dr. Jeannotte became an assistant professor in the Department of Medical Biology at Université Laval in Québec City in 1991. She was promoted associate professor in 1998 and full professor in 2002.
In Dr. Jeannotte’s laboratory, research is directed towards understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible for the development of the mammalian embryo -- with a particular emphasis on the involvement of members of the Hox gene family.
Throughout her training and her career, Dr. Jeannotte has received studentships, fellowships and scholarships from the Medical Research Council (MRC), the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) and the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé au Québec (FRSQ). She currently holds a Chercheur National award from the FRSQ. She has served MRC, NCIC, FRSQ and the Cancer Research Society (CRS) as a panel member. Dr. Jeannotte is currently acting as co-chair of the medical advisory board and vice-president of the CRS as well as member of the CIHR Developmental Biology panel.
K. S. Joseph
Perinatal Epidemiologist
Associate Professor
Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Pediatrics
Dalhousie University
Dr. K.S. Joseph works as a perinatal epidemiologist, with a joint appointment as an associate professor in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Pediatrics at Dalhousie University and the IWK Health Centre.
He received his bachelor of medicine and surgery degree (1982) and medical degree, with a concentration in community medicine (1987) from Christian Medical College, in Vellore, India, and a PhD in epidemiology and biostatistics (1995) from McGill University.
Dr. Joseph's research interests include pregnancy complications, preterm birth, fetal growth, perinatal mortality and serious neonatal morbidity. He has authored numerous publications, some of which have appeared in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, British Medical Journal, Obstetrics Gynecology and Pediatrics.
Dr. Joseph is a member of the Steering Committee of the Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System for the Public Health Agency of Canada. In 2002, he received the Peter Lougheed/CIHR New Investigator Award. More recently, he was awarded the Geoffrey C. Robinson award of the Canadian Pediatric Society for outstanding contributions to child and youth health through population health research.
K.R. Kao, Ph.D
Professor of Oncology
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Dr. Kao received his PhD from the University of Toronto in Developmental Biology. He subsequently completed postdoctoral training on an MRC (Canada) Fellowship at the University of Cambridge and as an NCIC Fellow at the Samuel Lunenfeld Institute before joining Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he is now Professor of Oncology. His lab has been continuously funded by CIHR and he has served as a peer review committee member for CIHR and as CIHR University Delegate for Memorial University. Dr. Kao’s research interests are in the mechanisms of cellular growth and differentiation during early embryonic development and their implications for cancer. He has important publications in this area with papers in prestigious journals including Nature, Development and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA).
Shoo Lee, MBBS, FRCPC, FAAP, PhD
Dr Shoo Lee is a neonatologist and health economist. He received his medical degree from the University of Singapore, completed pediatric training in Newfoundland, Canada, neonatal fellowship training at Boston's Children's Hospital, and received his PhD in Health Policy (Economics) from Harvard University. He is Director of the Centre for Healthcare Innovation and Improvement and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia, and recipient of the Aventis Pasteur Research Award from the Canadian Pediatric Society. He is Coordinator of the Canadian Neonatal Network, and has developed a national Canadian database to study outcomes and practice variations in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), develop models for healthcare improvement, and guide health policy. He patented risk prediction and health informatics systems for neonatal care and is currently developing models to facilitate translation of research and knowledge into clinical practice and health policy to improve quality of care. He has worked actively to develop health care and health training in developing countries and established a national neonatal fellowship training program in the People's Republic of China. He is a member of the Canadian Pediatric Society Fetus and Newborn Committee, the Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System Steering Committee and several Canadian Institutes of Health Research committees. He serves on the Advisory Committees of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, the British Columbia Institute of Technology, and the Scientific Steering Committee of the British Columbia Research Institute for Children's and Women's Health.
Donald R. Mattison, Captain, USPHS
Senior Advisor to the Directors of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and
The Center for Research for Mothers and Children
Dr. Donald Mattison was appointed Senior Advisor to the Directors of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Center for Research for Mothers and Children in 2002 and Chief of the Obstetric and Pediatric Pharmacology Branch in the Center for Research for Mothers and Children in 2004. In these roles, he provides oversight to Obstetrical and Pediatric Pharmacology programs within NICHD. As Captain in the U.S. Public Health Service he has been deployed on various missions to provide medical and public health support; recently for Hurricane Katrina and a Joint Forces Humanitarian Mission in the Philippines in 2006. In 2005 he was awarded the PHS Achievement Medal for his role in the National Children’s Study.
Dr. Mattison has previously held numerous academic, clinical and research appointments. He has been Medical Director of the March of Dimes; Dean of the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health and Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences in the University’s School of Medicine. He has also served as Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Interdisciplinary Toxicology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and Chief of the Section on Reproductive Toxicology in the Pregnancy Research Branch, at National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
In 1997, he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in 1999, a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, in 2000 a member of the Institute of Medicine, and in 2005 Distinguished Alumni of Augsburg College. He is the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed articles.
Dr. Mattison earned a BA (Chemistry and Mathematics) from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN, an MS (Chemistry) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA and a MD from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY. His clinical training in Obstetrics and Gynecology was at the Sloane Hospital for Women in the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. His training in Pharmacology and Toxicology was at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
Rob Santos
Scientific Director and Senior Policy Advisor at the Healthy Child Manitoba Office (HCMO)
Dr. Rob Santos is the Scientific Director and Senior Policy Advisor at the Healthy Child Manitoba Office (HCMO), the staff and secretariat of the Government of Manitoba's Healthy Child Committee of Cabinet (HCCC), the only standing Cabinet committee in Canada dedicated to the well-being of children and youth (prenatal to age 18 years). HCCC comprises the Ministers of Aboriginal and Northern Affairs; Culture, Heritage and Tourism; Education, Citizenship and Youth; Family Services and Housing; Health; Healthy Living; Justice; and Labour and Immigration/Status of Women. HCMO is mandated to work across departments and sectors through integrated research, policy, practice, and evaluation to facilitate successful child, adolescent, family, and community development. Rob is one of Manitoba's representatives for Canada's Federal/Provincial/Territorial Early Childhood Development (ECD) Working Group and co-chairs its Committee on ECD Knowledge, Information, and Effective Practices. He serves as an advisor for Canada's national Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development, the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network, the Canadian Council on Learning's Early Childhood Learning Knowledge Centre, Dr. Fraser Mustard's national Council for Early Child Development, and Statistics Canada's Aboriginal Children's Survey and National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Rob completed a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Manitoba, with specialization in community psychology, child development, population health, and prevention science and policy. He also has a cross-appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba.
Peter Szatmari, MD, MSc.
Professor, Vice-Chair of Research
Head of Division of Child Psychiatry
Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences
Dr. Peter Szatmari is Professor and Vice-Chair of Research and Head of the Division of Child Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University. He is also Director of the Offord Centre for Child Studies and holds the Chedoke Health Chair in Child Psychiatry at McMaster University.
Dr. Szatmari obtained both his medical degree (1976) and Master of Science degree, with a concentration in design, measurement and evaluation (1986), at McMaster University. He conducted his child psychiatry training at McMaster, as well as the University of Manchester in England.
Previously, Dr. Szatmari studied the diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. He also conducted a follow-up study of high functioning pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) children with autism and other types of PDD, and a family study of autism/PDD.
Dr. Szatmari is currently trying to identify genes that cause autism and affect severity of expression. He is also conducting a Canada-wide study of how children with autism develop from the initial diagnosis until grade one. He is Director of the Canadian Autism Intervention Research Network (CAIRN), a group made up of parents, clinicians and scientists who are attempting to construct a research agenda for early intervention in autism.
Dr. Szatmari was instrumental in developing the Pervasive Developmental Disorder Team at the Chedoke site of McMaster Children's Hospital. He has written over 100 publications, including a book entitled A Mind Apart: Understanding Autism and Asperger Syndrome.