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Mar 15, 2013

Federal Funding Boosts Biomedical Research at Faculty of Medicine

Research
By

Jenny Hall

Faculty of Medicine research received a big boost today, as the federal government announced five new Canada Research Chairs (CRCs) within the Faculty and renewed several more. The funding came as part of a nationwide government announcement of 23 new and renewed Chairs backed by $18.7 million in funding.

Investigating topics ranging from lung transplantation to growing new blood vessels, the Faculty’s new CRC recipients are:

  • Brian Cox, Department of Physiology, CRC in Placental Development and Maternal-Foetal Health
  • Marcelo Cypel, Department of Surgery and the University Health Network, CRC in Lung Transplantation
  • Jason Fish, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology and the University Health Network, CRC in Vascular Cell and Molecular Biology
  • Michael Wilson, Department of Molecular Genetics and the Hospital for Sick Children, CRC in Comparative Genomics
  • Minna Woo, Departments of Medicine and Medical Biophysics and University Health Network, CRC in Signal Transduction in Diabetes Pathogenesis

These recipients join the ranks of five other medicine researchers whose existing CRC was renewed, including:

  • Patricia L. Howell, Department of Biochemistry and the Hospital for Sick Children, CRC in Structural Biology
  • Jeff Meyer, Department of Psychiatry and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, CRC of Neurochemistry of Major Depressive Disorder
  • Lauence Pelletier, Department of Molecular Genetics and Mount Sinai Hospital, CRC in Centrosome Biogenesis and Function
  • Ren-Ke Li, Department of Surgery and University Health Network, CRC in Cardiac Regeneration
  • Molly Shoichet, Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, and Institute of Biomaterials & Bioengineering, CRC in Tissue Engineering

“The Canada Research Chairs program is a key component of the university’s efforts to attract and retain the world’s most promising researchers,” said Professor Peter Lewis, U of T’s Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation. “We are grateful to the government of Canada for its continuing support of this program.”

U of T’s total number of Canada Research Chairs is 238, the largest number of any university in the country.

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