2008 Award Recipient - Dr. Alan Bernstein
Dr. Alan Bernstein, Executive Director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise and former President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2008
At its 10th Annual Roundtable Meeting held March 6, 2008, the HCCC was proud to present the inaugural Award of Distinction to Dr. Alan Bernstein, Executive Director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise and former President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Dr. Bernstein's contributions to health research in Canada and his ability to foster excellent relationships with health charities were only two of many traits that made him a great choice for HCCC's first Award of Distinction.
Dr. Bernstein was previously the founding president of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). During his seven years there, he built CIHR into one of the world's leading research agencies, supporting more than 11,000 health researchers with an annual budget of US$1 billion.
Dr. Bernstein received his Ph.D. in Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. Following postdoctoral work in London where he first began working on retroviruses, he returned to Canada to join the faculty of the Ontario Cancer Institute. He later served as head of the Division of Molecular and Developmental Biology at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital, and then its director of research.
Author of over 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications, Dr. Bernstein is an internationally renowned researcher who has made extensive contributions to the study of embryonic development, stem cells, hematopoiesis and cancer. Dr. Bernstein has received numerous awards for his research and contributions to science, including the McLaughlin Medal of the Royal Society of Canada, the Robert L. Noble Prize from the National Cancer Institute of Canada, the Genetics Society of Canada Award of Excellence, the 2001 Australian Society of Medical Research Medal, an honorary degree from Dalhousie University, the 2007 Medaille du merite from the Institut de Recherche Clinique de Montreal, and the Order of Canada in 2002. Dr. Bernstein chairs and sits on a number of review boards and advisory committees in Canada, the US, the UK, Singapore, and Australia.
The members of HCCC thank Dr. Bernstein for his exceptional contributions to the charitable health sector.
Deirdre Freiheit (left), Dr. Bernstein (center), Sharon Baxter (right)