Newswise — Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), has informed the Minister of Health, the Honourable Jane Philpott and the CIHR Governing Council, of his retirement from the public service and CIHR at the end of March 2017.
During his tenure at CIHR, Dr. Beaudet has spearheaded a number of innovative and transformative domestic health research initiatives such as Canada's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, and a major reform of CIHR's open programs and peer review processes. Internationally, he has championed several multilateral research initiatives, notably the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD), of which he is currently Board Chair.
The Honourable Michael Wilson, Vice Chair of the CIHR Governing Council, extended his congratulations to Dr. Beaudet: "On behalf of the entire Governing Council we wish to extend our deepest appreciation and recognition to Alain for his close to nine years of service to the Canadian public and the scientific community. As leader of CIHR, he has greatly contributed to the evolution of the organization towards supporting research excellence across the full spectrum of its mandate."
Dr. Beaudet indicated that his departure comes at a good point in the organization's evolution "my departure will come before the end of my second term, but I believe that the time is fortuitous to do so. The government of Canada has committed to making science a priority and this will provide many new opportunities that should be capitalized on by new leadership."
"It has been a pleasure and a privilege leading CIHR and I would like to extend my deep gratitude to the staff and Scientific Directors for their commitment and dedication to CIHR and the entire research community," added Dr. Beaudet.
The position of President of CIHR is a Governor in Council appointment and Mr. Wilson indicated that he and the CIHR Executive Team will work with the office of the Minister of Health to initiate the process for recruiting Dr. Beaudet's successor.
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