Kudos
Dr. Charles Scriver from the Departments of Pediatrics and Human Genetics has been inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. One of Canada's pioneers in genetics research, Scriver's study of the prevalence of rickets in Quebec children led to the addition of vitamin D to milk throughout the country -- the move is credited with a dramatic reduction in the incidence of this childhood skeletal disease. Scriver was also instrumental in setting up the Quebec Food Bank system to provide new parents with nutritional information and products to help their children overcome genetic conditions early in life. Scriver joins several McGill medical figures who've already been inducted into the CMHF, including Charles Leblond, Brenda Milner, Wilder Penfield and William Osler.
Dr. Freda Miller from the Montreal Neurological Institute was named La Presse Personnalité de l'année in the category Sciences humaines, sciences pures et technologie. The honour was announced at the 18th Gala Excellence de La Presse and was televised live on Radio Canada. Miller was named La Presse Personnalité de la semaine on August 19, 2001 for her discovery of multipotent stem cells in the skin of rodents and humans.
Chancellor Richard Pound has received the Lester B. "Mike" Pearson Award from the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union. The prize is presented annually to a Canadian who, having participated in interuniversity athletics, has by his/her personal accomplishments exemplified the ideals and purposes of interuniversity athletics and amateur sport. Pound was a record-breaking swimmer and Olympic competitor in his student days. As a vice-president of the International Olympics Committee, Pound negotiated television and marketing contracts for the Olympics and investigated wrongdoing by fellow IOC members. He currently chairs the board of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Professor François Ricard from the Department of French Language and Literature has received a Grand Médaille de la francophonie from l'Académie française. Ricard's books, on topics ranging from author Gabrielle Roy's life to baby boomers, have drawn critical praise and earned awards.
Dr. Robin Cohen, from the Departments of Oncology and Medicine, has received the Dorothy J. Lamont Scientist Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the National Cancer Institute of Canada. The prize recognizes outstanding young investigators doing research in the area of cancer control. Working with colleagues at McGill and throughout the country, Cohen developed the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire. The questionnaire is used internationally to measure the subjective well-being of people loving with a life-threatening illness. She created a similar measure for the family caretakers of such patients.
Natasha Hussain, a PhD student in the lab of neurobiology professor Peter McPherson, has been awarded the First Annual Norton B. Gilula Award from the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB). This is a travel award for an undergraduate and graduate student presenting their research at the upcoming Annual Meeting of the ASCB. Hussain received the award for her research into the molecular mechanisms of endocytosis.
Professor Avi Friedman from the School of Architecture was recognized with the Best Presentation Award at the Canadian Institute of Planners annual meeting. His paper described collaborative work in the rehabilitation of la Villages neighbourhood in Cornwall, Ontario.
