The Health Research Foundation has awarded its prestigious Medal of Honour to Dr. Charles Scriver and Mr. Arnold Steinberg for their outstanding contributions to health sciences and public health innovation during a ceremony held in Toronto on November 14, 2012.
Together, Dr. Scriver and Mr Steinberg successfully worked to ensure the addition of vitamin D to milk in Quebec starting in the early 1970s, reducing the occurrence of nutritional rickets in children from over 1,000 per year to almost none. They have also collaborated on the development of the National Food Distribution Centre for the Management of Patients with Hereditary Metabolic Disease. The Centre focusses on the development of special diets as treatment for children with genetic disorders, including importing, storage and distribution of specialized dietary products. Dr. Scriver is a Professor at McGill University and a world-renowned geneticist and pioneer in the study of genetic diseases of children, especially
resulting from inborn errors of metabolism. Mr Steinberg is the current Chancellor of McGill University, a philanthropist and has provided
leadership to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Patient Safety Initiative, Health Infoway, and the McGill University Health Centre, to name a few.
The Rx&D Health Research Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support health research in Canadian academic health centres and promote the value of health research in Canada. By applying the highest standards of scientific excellence, addressing health challenges and establishing partnerships, HRF, one of the leading private health foundations in the country, contributes significantly to the prevention and treatment of disease, to a better health care system and the availability for Canadians to access effective health products.
Rx&D is the association of leading research-based pharmaceutical companies dedicated to improving the health of Canadians through the discovery and development of new medicines and vaccines. Our community represents the men and women working for more than 50 member companies which invest more than $1 billion in research and development each year to fuel Canada’s knowledge-based economy, contributing over $3 billion to the Canadian economy. Guided by our Code of Ethical Practices, our membership is committed to working in partnership with governments, healthcare professionals and stakeholders in a highly ethical manner.
To read more about the award click here
November 28, 2012