Message from the President

Interim Scientific Director for the Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lori J. West as Interim Scientific Director of CIHR's Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH). Dr. West currently serves as Chair of the ICRH Advisory Board. She began her interim appointment on July 1, 2010.

Dr. West brings a wealth of expertise to this role. She is a Professor of Pediatrics, Surgery, and Immunology and the Director of Heart Transplantation Research at the University of Alberta. As well, she is a Senior Scholar for the Alberta Foundation for Medical Research and holds the prestigious position of Canada Research Chair in Cardiac Transplantation.

Dr. West is regarded as a world leader in pediatric cardiac transplantation and transplant immunobiology. Her clinical work resulted in a pioneering strategy for increasing donor availability for infants, which has had a major global impact on infant heart transplantation. Dr. West is also a leader in basic research in the field of transplantation. She currently serves in leadership roles in several professional societies, including President-elect of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation.

CIHR is in the process of filling the Scientific Director position for the ICRH. In the meantime, I am confident that the Institute remains in good hands under the leadership of Dr. West.

Sincerely,

Alain Beaudet, M.D., Ph.D.
President
Canadian Institutes of Health Research