January 2023

Susan Band Horwitz receiving her 2019 Canada Gairdner International Award.

Moments that inspired Gairdner laureates

The path to winning a prestigious scientific award like a Canada Gairdner Award is never simple or easy. Most laureates will tell you they experienced many hurdles and setbacks along the way. Many never thought they would be recognized for their work at all. So, what or who inspired them on the path to their groundbreaking discoveries?

Susan Band Horwitz speaks from experience when she describes how it feels to realize you’ve uncovered something no one else has before. “I recall the thrill I experienced with my graduate student, looking down the microscope and seeing for the very first time bundles of microtubules and cells in response to their exposure to Taxol. That is a very special kind of joy.”

Watch her full acceptance speech

The excitement of discovering something for the first time is what Ronald Vale finds so addictive about science. Sometimes, all it takes is one person to help turn an interest into a career. He recalls a high school counselor who, after noticing his interest in science, called UCLA to see if he could continue his science fair project in one of their labs. The rest is history.

Watch his full lecture

Connie Eaves' grandmother came to Canada from Russia when she was 16 years old. When Eaves was a small child, she recalls her grandmother sitting her down and saying something that has stuck with her to this day. She said, “You have to do something important. I could never do it. I saved the money, and all of my children have done something important, and now you have to do that too.”

Watch her full acceptance speech

When Sir Ravinder Maini was a research fellow, he worked in an arthritis clinic. It became clear to him that patients were living unpleasant lives, but no satisfactory treatment existed at the time. The experience made him ask "what is it that we could do that could make a difference?" and the work began.

Watch the full interview

UPCOMING EVENTS

2023 Canada Gairdner Award Announcement

Join us on March 30 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM EST when we announce the 2023 Canada Gairdner Awards laureates, including our inaugural Canada Gairdner Momentum Award winners!

2023 Successes in Neuroscience Expo (SiN)

Gairdner is proud to support the third Successes in Neuroscience on February 8. Successes in Neuroscience is a celebration of neuroscience research and innovation across Alberta. In the third offering of this exciting event, we continue to focus on sharing cutting edge research ideas with all Albertans. Sessions include presentations and panel discussions that will give everyone the opportunity to learn and ask questions. Thank you to everyone who will join us to celebrate the new and exciting endeavors in neuroscience research with some of the nation’s leading innovators.

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2023 Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Conference

Gairdner is proud to sponsor the AI in Medicine Student Society (AIMSS) fourth annual AI in Healthcare Conference set to take place on March 10-12. The Conference will be hybrid with an in-person component taking place at the Matrix Hotel in Downtown Edmonton, which will be live-streamed for our online attendees.

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The International Congress on Academic Medicine (ICAM) 2023

Gairdner is a proud sponsor of the International Congress on Academic Medicine (ICAM) taking place April 13-18, which will be a congress that is unparalleled in scope and reputation in Canada, providing unique opportunities for networking and sharing of scholarly work in medical education along the continuum and across academic medicine.

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