Five new members appointed to the Council’s Scientific Advisory Committee

The Council of Canadian Academies is pleased to announce the appointment of five new members to its Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) – Lorne Babiuk, Clarissa Desjardins, Gregory S. Kealey, Avrim Lazar, and Sarah P. Otto. The Council is also saying good-bye to some members of the current SAC whose terms have come to an end. The role of the SAC is to assess the suitability of subjects proposed to the Council for assessment.

Lorne Babiuk, O.C., FRSC, FCAHS, is Vice-President (Research) at the University of Alberta. A member of the Council’s Expert Panel on Canada’s Strategic Role in Global Health, Dr. Babiuk specializes in immunology, pathogenesis, virology, molecular virology, and vaccinology, and is an international expert on infectious diseases and their control, specifically by vaccination. Dr. Babiuk is also an Officer of the Order of Canada, and has received many prestigious honours.

Clarissa Desjardins is the CEO of Clementia Pharmaceuticals based in Quebec, and until recently, the CEO of the Centre of Excellence in Personalized Medicine. Prior to this, Dr. Desjardins was a serial entrepreneur, taking part in all aspects of company creation—from conception, to financing, to the marketplace. Dr. Desjardins earned a PhD in Neurology and Neurosurgery from McGill’s Faculty of Medicine, and was a Medical Research Council postdoctoral fellow at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre.

Gregory S. Kealey, FRSC, is former Provost and Vice-President (Research) at the University of New Brunswick. A member of the Council’s Expert Panel on the State of Science and Technology, Dr. Kealey has also served on numerous boards including the Canadian Historical Association, the Social Science Federation of Canada, and the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Dr. Kealey’s areas of research specialization include Canadian social and labour history, and security and intelligence studies.

Avrim Lazar is an independent consultant based in Ottawa who provides coaching for policy and communications excellence to organizations. He is the former President and CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada. Mr. Lazar has held numerous positions in the public service including Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy at Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, and Assistant Deputy Minster, Policy and Communications at Environment Canada.

Sarah P. Otto, FRSC, is the Director of the Biodiversity Research Centre at the University of British Columbia. A member of the Council’s Expert Panel on Biodiversity Science, Dr. Otto’s research focusses on how organismal diversity arises by exploring the influence of environmental circumstances and interactions among species on the outcome of evolution, using mathematical models, phylogenetic analyses, and yeast experimental evolution.

Stepping down from the Council’s Scientific Advisory Committee are five long-standing members: Michel G. Bergeron, Professor, Founder and Director, Centre de recherche en infectiologie, Université Laval; Margaret Conrad, Professor Emerita, University of New Brunswick; Judith G. Hall, Professor Emerita of Pediatrics and Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia; John P. Smol, Co-Director, Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Laboratory, Queen’s University; and Joseph D. Wright, Retired President and CEO, Pulp and Paper Research Institute.

“We bid a very fond farewell to these five dedicated members of our Scientific Advisory Committee,” said Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Council President and CEO. “Each has played an important role on the Committee and I would like to take the opportunity to thank them for their support . On behalf of the Council, I would also like to warmly welcome our new members. We look forward to working closely with them as the Council continues to broaden the questions it takes on for assessment.”

The members of the SAC are eminent representatives of the broad science community, drawing from the academic, business, and non-governmental sectors. Membership reflects balance in terms of discipline, geography, gender and official language community.

A full list of the Council’s Scientific Advisory Committee members and their biographies can be found on the Council’s website.