OTTAWA, June 15, 2023 – Research Canada held its 18th Annual General Meeting: Fulfilling the Promise of Collaborative Advocacy Leadership on June 7, 2023. The meeting was an opportunity for Research Canada’s Members across the country to come together and discuss the work that the organization is doing to advocate for a strengthened and resilient health research and innovation ecosystem in Canada. It was also an opportunity to bid a fond farewell to Ms. Deborah Gordon-El-Bihbety, Research Canada’s President and CEO, who will be stepping down this fall. Research Canada was also pleased to appoint its new Chair and Past Chair and welcome four new Research Canada Board of Directors.
Research Canada was pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Tarik Möröy, Director of the Hematopoiesis and Cancer Research Unit at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute and Professor at the Université de Montréal to the position of Chair of the Board of Directors. Dr. Möröy steps into this role after two years as Research Canada’s Vice-Chair, during which he chaired the Governance Committee and Strategic Planning Force and led the development of Research Canada’s refreshed Strategic Plan, Vision 2025: Fulfilling the Promise of Collaborative Advocacy Leadership, which was launched at its Annual General Meeting last week. Vision 2025 will guide Research Canada’s strategic direction as a collaborative advocacy leader working to achieve policy impact by strengthening political and public support for a robust health research and innovation ecosystem in Canada.
Dr. Möröy had the opportunity to honour his predecessor, Dr. Rose Goldstein, Professor of Medicine at McGill University. Dr. Goldstein stepped into the role of Past Chair after three years of exemplary service as Chair of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Leadership in Advocacy Award Selection Committee. Dr. Goldstein made many important contributions to Research Canada’s advocacy work and strategic direction, including chairing Research Canada’s Expert Advisory Panel on the biopharmaceutical sector’s contribution to Canada’s health research and innovation ecosystem. Under her leadership, Research Canada held a number of stellar Parliamentary Health Research Caucus events, including the return to in-person events following the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Goldstein has been a champion for Research Canada’s collaborative advocacy work and has participated in the creation and distribution of policy focused work, such as the Your Candidates, Your Health campaign and the Stakeholder Action Roundtable, which invited health research and innovation ecosystem leaders to align their messaging leading up to Budget 2023. Dr. Goldstein was instrumental in bringing to the fore important health research and innovation ecosystem policy issues such as procurement and she ensured that Research Canada’s Membership added university and life sciences’ Members to balance out representation among all ecosystem stakeholders. Dr. Goldstein is currently chairing the President and CEO Search Committee. Research Canada looks forward to continuing to work with Dr. Goldstein as Past Chair.
Research Canada was also pleased to announce and welcome four new knowledgeable, experienced and talented Board Directors:
Mr. Anthony Keating
Mr. Anthony Keating is the President, Chief Development Officer and Vice-President of Communications, at Health Sciences North. He is responsible for providing oversight and leadership on governance to four non-profits: Health Sciences North Foundation, Northern Cancer Foundation, NEO Kids Foundation, and the Health Sciences North Volunteer Association. He is responsible for the joint strategic plan for the organizations under his purview. He completed a $7M major gift fundraising campaign for the acquisition of a new and upgraded MRI and he completed the early stages of a $150M capital campaign. Revenue grew from an average of $3M to $13M under his leadership.
Dr. Darryl Knight
Dr. Darryl Knight is the Vice President, Research & Academic Affairs at Providence Healthcare (PHC) and the President of Providence Research. He also serves as Associate Dean of Research in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. He has substantial leadership experience in the higher education and health sectors in two countries, providing an international perspective to the governance, management and relationships necessary for effective Institutional operations and planning. Additionally, Dr. Knight has recently led the re-branding of the Providence Health Care Research Institute and the development of its new 2021-2026 strategic plan.
Dr. Lisa Porter
Dr. Lisa Porter is a Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Windsor and the Executive Director of the WE-SPARK Health Institute. She is a biomedical researcher who has led her own tri-council and non-profit funded lab for nearly 20 years, successfully bringing in more than $6M in research funding. She has been at the helm of fundraising for health research locally for many years and is on the University Delegates Executive Committee for CIHR. She has sat on dozens of government grant panels, both federal and provincial, in a leadership role. Dr. Porter was also responsible for setting up the marketing and branding for WE-SPARK Health Institute and teaches a course on using community outreach and social media to promote public understanding of research.
Ms. Heather Scoffield
Ms. Heather Scoffield is the Senior Vice-President of Strategy at the Business Council of Canada and the former Economics columnist and Ottawa bureau chief at the Toronto Star. Ms. Scoffield is a bilingual organization leader with a passion for public policy and 25+ years of experience driving elite communications, assessing the implications of policy, and promoting national awareness of key issues through award-winning news coverage. She is a high-level strategist, meticulous executor, mentor, thought leader and spokesperson. Her extensive professional network spans federal and provincial governments, media, community leaders and corporate Canada. Ms. Scoffield is the author of 8000+ news articles and a frequent commentator on radio, television and at conferences, large and small.
Research Canada also said farewell to Dr. David Hill, Scientific Director of Lawson Health Research Institute and Research Canada’s Inaugural Chair and Ms. Lori Spadorcia, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Partnerships and Chief Strategy Officer at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), both of whom have stepped off the Board after eight years of exemplary service. Dr. Ingrid Waldron, Professor and HOPE Chair in Peace and Health, Global Peach and Social Justice Program in the Department of History, Faculty of Humanities at McMaster University, also stepped down after two years of service in order to focus on her research to advance health equity and social justice across Canada.
For a complete list of Research Canada’s Board of Directors, please visit rc-rc.ca/board-of-directors/.
About Research Canada
Research Canada is a national alliance dedicated to increasing investments in health research through collaborative advocacy and engaging government, academia, industry and non-profit sectors to build support for long-term health research funding. For more information, visit rc-rc.ca.
For inquiries:
Christie Tomkins
Manager of Policy and Public Affairs
613-234-5129
ctomkins@rc-rc.ca