University of Ottawa/Ottawa Hospital researcher wins CIHR Mentorship Award for dedication to youth
Ottawa, May 28, 2009 — Dr. Barbara Vanderhyden, the Corinne Boyer Chair in Ovarian Cancer Research at the University of Ottawa, has received the Synapse Mentorship Award for her exceptional commitment to mentoring and encouraging youth who are interested in health sciences as a career.
As part of the (CIHR) Synapse – Youth Connection initiative sponsored by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the award recognizes individuals who distinguish themselves as a health research mentor for Canadian youth.
Dr. Vanderhyden has been a champion of science literacy among Canadian youth for two decades. She helped Let’s Talk Science / Parlons Sciences (LTS-PS) expand into a Canadian non-profit science program by opening its second site in Ottawa. For 18 years, she has mentored both high-school and university students in her research lab.
Three years ago, Dr. Vanderhyden launched Science Travels / La Science Voyage, a bilingual outreach program that delivers science workshops to remote and Aboriginal communities in northern Ontario. She rewards high-school students for their scientific efforts at The Ottawa Evening, an annual Partners in Research event. She also delivers public lectures at high schools about cancer and the efforts of researchers to treat and cure the disease.
“The underlying basis through all of my outreach activities is to provide students of any age the chance to learn by experience,” she says. “It has to be in a way where the student is involved and can solve those little science problems or answer science questions through investigation.”
Dr. Vanderhyden is also the Corinne Boyer Chair in Ovarian Cancer Research at the University of Ottawa. She explores the step-by-step development of ovarian cancer and seeks to improve diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for women with the disease.
The University of Ottawa, one of Canada’s top research-intensive universities, is dedicated to preparing the next generation of Canadian researchers and scientists. We are committed to excellence and encourage an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation that attracts the best academic talent from across Canada and around the world.
For more information:
David Coulombe
CIHR Media Specialist
Tel. (Office): 613-941-4563
Tel. (Mobile): 613-808-7526
E-mail: mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
Jennifer Paterson
Director
Communications and Public Relations
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Tel.: 613-798-5555, ext. 19691
E-mail: jpaterson@ohri.ca
Julie Tanguay
Media relations officer
University of Ottawa
Tel.:613-562-5800, ext. 3137
613-724-8290 (cell)
E-mail: jtanguay@uOttawa.ca
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR):
www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca - Corinne Boyer Chair :
http://www.med.uottawa.ca/vanderhyden/index.html