The Gairdner Foundation is seeking nominations for the Canada Gairdner International Award

Purpose and Description of the Canada Gairdner International Awards

The Foundation's aim is to honour and reward outstanding biomedical scientists who have made original contributions to medicine with the ultimate goal of contributing through research to the conquest of disease and relief of human suffering. The Foundation invites the scientific community to nominate qualified scientists from every branch of biomedicine.

The evaluation of the contributions of the nominees depends heavily on the quality of information supplied. Therefore, nominations should be accurate, detailed, current, complete and with supporting letters reflecting the nominee's accomplishments.

The International Award

Canada Gairdner International Awards are given annually in the amount of $100,000 (each) payable in Canadian funds and are given to residents of any country without restriction. A joint award may be given for the same discovery or contribution to medical science, but each awardee receives a full prize. In addition an award citation depicting the recipient's work and a sculpture, Le Coeur, will be presented at an Awards Dinner in October 2008. The Awards are for the personal use of the recipient.

All necessary travel and accommodation expenses for winners and their partners to accept Awards are paid by the Foundation.

The process

Nominations are reviewed on two levels.

A Medical Review Panel from across Canada is comprised of 30 eminent scientists in various fields who review and prepare a short list of potential recipients from received nominations. This Panel is currently co-chaired by Dr. Peter Lewis, Ph.D., Vice Dean, Research and International Relations, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and Dr. Jack Gauldie, Ph.D., FRSC, University Professor and previous Chair of the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University.

A Medical Advisory Board (MAB) comprised of 20 eminent international scientists select the winners for recommendation to the Gairdner Foundation Board of Directors. John. H. Dirks, M.D. Scientific Director of the Gairdner Foundation, Chairs the MAB Board.

Nomination Requirements

a) Provide a short introduction and summary in 150 words or less of the Nominee's contribution to biomedical and clinical research.

b) Present a brief biography including academic, administrative and research positions, awards or recognitions and identify top five publications.

c) Outline in an analytical manner, how and why the work of the Nominee(s) has advanced basic, clinical and/or population health sciences and clearly delineate how it is set apart from the work of others in the field.

d) Define whether an individual or shared award would be pertinent to the nomination and if so, who the shared Nominee(s) would be.

e) Provide a Nominee's full current curriculum vitae and bibliography and a contact sheet listing full position title, letters, business address, telephone number, fax, e-mail address and support person contact.

f) Arrange for at least two (2) letters of support from colleagues familiar with the Nominee's work. These are particularly valuable when analytically evaluated as regards a discovery or major contribution to biomedical science.

Please submit in electronic format (MS Word or PDF) to nominations@gairdner.org and follow up hard copy to:

John H. Dirks, MD
President & Scientific Director
The Gairdner Foundation
44 Charles Street West
Suite 4706
Toronto, ON M4Y 1R8

Phone: 416-596.9996
Fax: 416-596-9992
E-Mail: nominations@gairdner.org
Web Site: http://www.gairdner.org