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Canada’s Gairdner Awards: Fifty years of making science matter

On October 28th-30th, the world’s most celebrated scientific superstars gathered in Toronto to mark the 50th anniversary of Canada’s largest celebration of science: The Canada Gairdner Awards.

As part of the celebration, more than 60 past winners, including 22 Nobel Laureates visited the University of Toronto to participate in a series of free lectures-open to both academics and the public. Students, teachers and other members of the scientific community packed the lecture halls and labs clustered around the campus leaving little or no standing room. Many attendees were even forced to listen to the some 35 lectures from outside the lecture room doors. The audience was estimated at 4,000 in Toronto and more than 15,000 across the country. Despite the crowded conditions, attendees were treated to a remarkable lineup of scientists, both Canadian and world renowned. The record numbers were a welcome site for organizers.

“We knew the registration was very high, but when you spend a lot of time organizing it, and it’s the last minute and the curtain’s about to go up, you never know how it’s going to turn out,” said Dr. John Dirks, president and scientific director of the Gairdner Foundation. “We thought the program was pretty attractive and I knew for sure that with speakers like Dr. Yamanaka and this year’s Nobel Prize winner Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn many would come.”

Dirks added that he was overwhelmed by the response to all the presentations including the one on global health, with a cancer theme on the Friday afternoon, and especially with the turnout to the industry breakfast, where he had to turn away many who wished to atted because there just wasn’t any space.

Other key speakers included: Dr. Michael Bishop, Dr. Denis Slamon, Dr. Bob Wienberg, Dr. Harald zur Hausen, Dr. Barry Marshall, Dr. David Baltimore and Dr. Philip Sharp.

The 2009 Canada Gairdner Awards were given to seven recipients. Winners included:

- Dr. Nubia Munoz, recipient of the inaugural Canada Gairdner Global Health Award, who discovered the two strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV) that are the most common cause of cervical cancer, contributing directly to the development of a vaccine to help prevent against the disease

- Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, a leader in stem cell research who broke the logjam of ethical issues around stem cell research by discovering a means to develop stem cells from skin cells

- Dr. Peter Walter and Dr. Kazutoshi Mori, who elucidated the mysteries of folding proteins so that the body can use them effectively

- Dr. Lucy Shapiro and Dr. Richard Losick, who discovered key mechanisms that allow cells to become specialized and give rise to the different cells/tissues of our bodies, such as organs and bones

- Dr. David Sackett (Professor Emeritus, McMaster University), who coined the term clinical epidemiology, and strongly advocated for evidence-based medicine, challenging medical institutions the world over to adopt a higher standard of care instead of accepting the status quo

The awardees were selected by two separate judging panels made up of Canadian and international medical researchers. Each recipient was also given a larger cash award from past years winners, $100,000 as opposed to the previous $30,000 prize.

The increase was made possible by a $20-million donation from the federal government.

The awards were originally created back in 1959 by Canadian businessman James Gairdner, to recognize the breakthroughs of the world’s leading medical scientists and to bring the work of “high science” to the public. Next to the Nobel Prize, the Canada Gairdner Awards are the most prestigious global medical research awards and have a track record of identifying significant work early on.

The discovery of the structure of DNA, MRI machines, the human genome, the cure for ulcers, the eradication of smallpox, CT scans; the scientists who made these discoveries have all have received a Canada Gairdner Award.

“The scientific community has become very much aware of them, more so now than ever,” explained Dr. Dirks. “These awards truly distinguish Canada as a leader in science and elevate the profile of science by introducing world-class researchers to the academic communities across the country. And I think the fact that we have a very large science program across the country, entrenched in 22 universities has been a major step forward,” said Dirks.

This year, symposia, workshops and public forums were also held in other parts of the country leading up to the Toronto event, including events in Vancouver (personalized medicine), Edmonton (cancer), York University (entrepreneurship), Ottawa (genes, heart, brain and mind), Sherbrooke (RNA), and Halifax (genetic disorders). There were also faculty lectures across the country, where past winners spoke to high school students with the goal of stimulating and inspiring them to pursue careers in science. In Winnipeg alone, more than 800 high schools students and 500 faculty members came out to see Dr. David Sackett’s presentation, while of the 22 universities, 15 had past awardees speaking to students.

“Our primary mission is to honour the best scientists in the world and to create a benchmark of scientific achievement in Canada. In doing so, we also strive to better our national science culture. One of the other things that hallmark the Gairdner’s is the fact that we treat our winners like a family of scientists. There is a sense of community,” states Dr. Dirks.

Dr. Dirks adds that interest in the Gairdner's has only intensified as the event has aimed to fulfill a larger mandate.

“Another goal we’re hoping to achieve is to contribute to science on an international level. The introduction of the new international award this year is the first step. We’ve always had international people here, from our advisory board to our guests and scientists. The global health stage is an area we’d like to foster and build into a larger, more visible endeavor,” he said.

In fact organizers have a planned a trip to Bogotá Columbia to the home of this year’s winner of the inaugural Canada Gairdner Global Health Award, Dr. Nubia Munoz.

“It’s another way we think is good for Canada to fly its flag in scientific enterprises, to both promote and drive the culture of scientific excellence both here and abroad.”