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THE EJLB-CIHR MICHAEL SMITH CHAIR IN NEUROSCIENCES AND MENTAL HEALTH In December 2001, The EJLB Foundation awarded a CAN$1,000,000 grant for the creation of a research Chair honouring the memory of Dr. Michael Smith, 1993 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, a former member of the Foundation's Scientific Advisory Committee who was instrumental in the setting up of the Scholar Research Programme, a strong supporter of the Foundation and a trusted friend. The purpose of the Chair, awarded for five (5)-year non-renewable terms, is to allow a Canadian university, or affiliated research institute, to attract to Canada a world-renowned scientist in neurosciences and mental health. Under the terms of the Agreement setting up The EJLB-CIHR Michael Smith Chair in Neurosciences and Mental Health, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) provided a $300,000 establishment grant, while the Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA) undertook to award a yearly $50,000 support grant and the selected university to nominate the candidate for a Canada Research Chair of up to $200,000/year, as well as to apply on his/her behalf for an infrastructure grant through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI). The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) is responsible for the investment and management of the Foundation's grant. In January 2003, Dr. Min Zhuo, nominated by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Toronto, was selected as the first recipient of The EJLB-CIHR Michael Smith chair in Neurosciences and Mental Health. Dr. Zhuo's principal area of research is on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of pain. In March 2009, Dr. Georg Northoff, nominated by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ottawa, was selected as the second recipient of The EJLB-CIHR Michael Smith chair in Neurosciences and Mental Health. Dr. Northoff has been appointed at the University of Ottawa as Canada Research Chair in Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics and has concurrently been appointed to the University of Ottawa's Institute of Mental Health Research as Director of the Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit. |
