Newswise — Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), along with CIHR's Governing Council, announced last week the appointment of Dr. Anthony Phillips as incoming Scientific Director (SD) of CIHR's Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (CIHR-INMHA). This appointment was effective April 1, 2009.
"Dr. Phillips is a welcome addition to the CIHR leadership team," said Dr. Beaudet. "His accomplishments in neurosciences, psychopharmacology and mental health research and proven leadership make him the ideal candidate to take CIHR-INMHA forward."
Dr. Phillips is currently a Professor of Psychiatry in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC); the Founding Director of the UBC Institute of Mental Health; and a senior investigator with the UBC/Vancouver Coastal Health Brain Research Centre. He holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario (London), is a post-doctoral fellow from the California Institute of Technology and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada since 1986. His areas of research interest include motivation and emotion, learning and memory, drug addiction and mental illness, with a specific emphasis on clinical implications. He is the recipient of many awards including the Heinz Lehmann Award (2009) of the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology and the Donald Hebb Award of the Canadian Psychological Association (1995).
Dr. Phillips is a former member of the board of directors and scientific advisory board of Neuroscience Canada and the scientific advisory board of the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research. He is also a Councillor of the Society for Neuroscience and the former Chair of the CIHR-INMHA Institute Advisory Board (2001-2007)
"I am honoured and excited to have responsibility, in partnership with a dedicated community of health research professionals nation-wide, for ensuring the continued success of CIHR-INMHA in the application of new knowledge about the brain and mind to the health of Canadians," said Dr. Phillips. "Innovation will remain a watchword for our activities, as will the continued commitment to partnership with all who seek improvement in the diagnosis and treatment of mental ill health, addiction and the many other challenges arising from disorders of the nervous system."
Dr. Phillips is the author of over 275 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals such as Science, Nature, Cell, the Journal of Neuroscience and Neuropsychopharmacology; member of the editorial boards of four journals; and the author of multiple book chapters.
"I would also like to thank Dr. Rémi Quirion for his extraordinary leadership in establishing CIHR-INMHA," added Dr. Beaudet. "Over the past eight years, with the support of his IAB and staff, he helped bring new energy and dynamism to Canadian neurosciences, mental health and addiction research. Thanks to Rémi's exceptional vision and ability to recognize emerging health trends and issues critical for society, CIHR has made important contributions to a number of large-scale initiatives such as mental health in the workplace and regenerative medicine and become a sought-after partner."
"I am most happy about the nomination of Dr. Phillips as SD of CIHR-INMHA as I had the pleasure of working with him on the early development of CIHR-INMHA," said Dr. Quirion. "I learned a lot from Tony and I am fully convinced that under his leadership, the Institute will reach new heights and build on its excellent reputation."
CIHR is comprised of 13 Institutes, each led by a Scientific Director, responsible for championing health research at the highest levels of international excellence, establishing and nurturing partnerships, as well as fostering effective communication and knowledge dissemination. CIHR-INMHA supports research to enhance mental health, neurological health, vision, hearing, and cognitive functioning and to reduce the burden of related disorders through prevention strategies, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health-care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to nearly 12,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada. www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca
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