Dr. Alan Bernstein is an internationally respected researcher, mentor and scientific leader in the fields of cancer, hematopoiesis and genomics. He received his Ph.D. in Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto in 1972. Following postdoctoral work at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories in London (UK), he joined the Ontario Cancer Institute and University of Toronto in 1974. He has been a Professor of Molecular and Medical Genetics since 1984. In 1985, Dr. Bernstein moved to Mount Sinai Hospital as head of Molecular and Developmental Biology of its Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute.

Three years later he became Associate Director and then Director in 1994, a position he held until June 2002 when he was appointed the inaugural President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). A productive scientist, Dr. Bernstein is the author or co-author of over 200 research articles. He has made key contributions to our understanding of embryonic development, hematopoiesis, cancer and formation of the cardiovascular system. His work has also been important in advancing techniques for gene therapy and the genetic analysis of mammalian development. Dr. Bernstein has received numerous awards for his contributions, including the McLaughlin Medal of the Royal Society of Canada, the Genetics Society of Canada Award of Excellence, the 2001 Australian Society for Medical Research Medal, and the Order of Canada.