2000-2001 Winner

Dr. Barbara Vanderhyden
University of Ottawa
Winner of the Gordin Kaplan Award Lecture

2001 Gordin Kaplan Award was presented by Dr. James Fryer, CFBS Past President to Dr. Barbara Vanderhyden, University of Ottawa, Centre for Cancer Therapeutics for her significant contribution to public awarness of Science. Dr. Vanderhyden gave the 2001 Gordin Kaplan Award Lecture at the CFBS 44th Annual Meeting. The lecture title was: "Public involvement in Science: the Ovarian Cancer Experience".

Dr. Barbara Vanderhyden completed her Ph.D. in Reproductive Physiology at the University of Western Ontario and then did postdoctoral studies at The Jackson Laboratory in Maine, where she learned to climb mountains, both literally and scientifically. She joined the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa in 1991 and the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre in 1995, which initiated her interest in ovarian cancer. In addition to pursuing her research interests, Dr. Vanderhyden established several resources to facilitate the research endeavours of other scientists, including a transgenic mouse facility and an ovarian cancer tissue bank. She recently became the inaugural Corinne Boyer Chair in Ovarian Cancer Research at the University of Ottawa.

Dr. Vanderhyden's research focuses on ovarian cancer, and she became inspired by the passion with which ovarian cancer survivors and family members have spear-headed numerous initiatives to increase the awareness and support of ovarian cancer research in Canada. The growing public involvement in many areas of science is evident by the more frequent fund-raising for specific research needs or endeavours, the establishment of endowed chairs and the growing number of partnerships between organizations and researchers. While the motivation for such advocacy is initially founded in personal loss, sustained communication between researchers and the public is critical to ensure continued interest and support.

Dr. Vanderhyden is a strong advocate for science education in schools and promoting awareness of science and scientists. Aware of the need for society to become more scientifically literate, she established the Ottawa branch of Let's Talk Science/Parlons Sciences which is now a national program. Let's Talk Science volunteers, who are graduate students in all fields of science, medicine, engineering and technology, are partnered with elementary and secondary science teachers to facilitate classroom learning environments that are active and fun. The program is a great success in Ottawa with active partnerships established with 70% of high schools in the Ottawa region. In addition to improving science literacy, these partnerships serve the very important role of enabling graduate students, scientists-in-training, to acquire the skills necessary to speak about their work to the general public. Ideally, these skills will enable science advocacy to be an integral component of the careers of these young scientists.