For immediate release - 2001-30

WINNIPEG (October 10, 2001) - Dr. Alan Bernstein, President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and Dr. Eldon Smith, President of the Peter Lougheed Medical Research Foundation, announced today the first six recipients of the Peter Lougheed/CIHR Scholarships. The Scholarships - worth approximately $525,000 over a five year period - are CIHR's pre-eminent award and are rewarded to the highest rated applicants in CIHR's national competition for scholarships. The Scholarships are a partnership between CIHR and the Peter Lougheed Medical Research Foundation, a newly created Foundation whose goal is to endow $10 million to support excellence in health research.

The official announcement will be made during the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame's 2001 Induction Ceremony in Winnipeg on October 11. At that time, the Honourable Peter Lougheed will be inducted into the Hall for his lifelong commitment to health research. Scholarships have been awarded to: Dr. Paul Allison (McGill University); Dr. Deborah Burshtyn (University of Alberta); Dr. Linda Cook (University of Calgary); Dr. Maureen Meade (McMaster University); Dr. Bruce Rannala (University of Alberta); and Dr. Michael Schull (University of Toronto).

"Investing in health research is not just good business, it's an investment in Canada's future," said Dr. Bernstein. "The Peter Lougheed/CIHR Scholarships help broaden support of health research by encouraging corporate support for endowment funds such as this one. I am confident that this collaboration will improve the health of Canadians and encourage our best and brightest to stay in Canada."

The Peter Lougheed/CIHR Scholarships are CIHR's most important career development program. CIHR scholarships nurture investigators who are in their first years of a university appointment. Paid for in the form of salary support and operating funds, the scholarships offer Canada's brightest young researchers an incentive to continue their work in Canada.

"It is realistic for Canada to aspire to and to realize a world leadership position in health research and scientific discovery," said Mr. Lougheed. "I am proud that these scholarships will play a role in realizing this goal."

Mr. Lougheed, one of Canada's prominent champions of corporate investment in health research, served as Premier of Alberta from 1971 to 1985. In 1980, he created the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. Mr. Lougheed currently serves on the board of many corporations, and is a senior partner in the law firm of Bennett Jones.

Dr. Eldon Smith, volunteer-President of the Foundation, noted "This Foundation and the scholarships it awards pay homage to Peter Lougheed's vision and commitment to helping his fellow Canadians. We hope that corporate Canada will support the development of this endowment which will enhance Canada's ability to be competitive internationally in attracting the best researchers to work here."

The first six Scholarship winners will address a wide spectrum of health issues in locations across Canada including:

• Dr. Paul Allison, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Dentistry at McGill University, is developing a study to measure oral health and hygiene in children with Down's syndrome. He hopes the information collected by both personal survey and statistical review of dental records will encourage preventative care and will lead to new treatments to curb the prevalence and severity of oral health problems in people with the syndrome;

• Dr. Deborah Burshtyn, Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Alberta, studies special immune cells called natural killer cells (NKs) and killer inhibitory receptors (KIRs). Her research could lead to insights into how to control the NKs when they are involved in problems such as autoimmune and allergic diseases;

• Dr. Linda Cook, Assistant Professor from the University of Calgary and a research scientist at the Alberta Cancer Board, will conduct an extensive study involving women, who have either non-cancerous ovarian cysts or full-blown ovarian cancer. The objective of this study is to enhance early detection, prevention tools and new therapies;

• Dr. Maureen Meade, a physician at the Hamilton Health Sciences Centre and a researcher and Associate Professor at McMaster University, has developed a randomized clinical trial of a ventilation strategy that may someday decrease the mortality rates of critically ill patients who are kept alive by ventilators;

• Dr. Bruce Rannala, Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Alberta, will develop new statistical techniques to identify and study the hundreds of DNA mutations that can cause inherited disorders in humans. His gene mapping system will draw upon the power of the Human Genome sequence to reduce costs and improve efficiency that will hopefully lead to improved health care treatments; and

• Dr. Michael Schull, Clinician-Scientist for Sunnybrook & Women's College Health Sciences Centre, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, will study the causes and effects of emergency department overcrowding and ambulance delays. The objective of his work is to improve these systems to provide the highest quality of care for Canadians.

The Peter Lougheed Medical Research Foundation is a voluntary organization that is working to endow $10 million through corporate donations to support 15 annual scholarship awards. The board of directors include: Allan R. Taylor, Paul Desmarais Jr., L.R. (Red) Wilson, Peter J.G. Bentley, the Honourable Marc Lalonde, George T. Richardson, the Honourable David Peterson, George Cooper and Foundation Chair Richard Haskayne.

CIHR is Canada's premier agency for health research. Its objective is to excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products and a strengthened health care system.