Canadian Government Awards Prestigious Canada Research Chair To StfX Professor
October 15th, 2012
St. Francis Xavier University researcher Dr. Todd Boyle was awarded the Canada Research Chair in Quality Assurance in Community Pharmacy.
This will allow Dr. Boyle to further develop his program of research on medication error reporting and learning in community pharmacies, and how quality improvement programs and information technology can help enhance such activities.
The Canada Research Chairs program is designed to recognize and support exceptional researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their chosen field.
Dr. Boyle has led an impressive program of research capacity development. This has included development of both regional and international partnerships with other researchers, working with professional bodies and community based businesses, and mentoring and training of research assistants from undergraduate students to post-doctoral fellows.
During the past five years, Dr. Boyle has been awarded over one million dollars in research awards, funding, and lab infrastructure from pharmacy, provincial, and federal agencies; such as a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Partnerships for Health System Improvement grant, considered Canada’s premier health services and policy research competition. Key outcomes from the research program have been presented internationally, in addition to having been commercialized and marketed globally.
Top researchers at universities across Canada were awarded funding recently. Dr. Boyle receives a half a million dollars in research support. “By investing in talented people through programs such as the Canada Research Chairs, our government is supporting cutting-edge research in Canadian post-secondary institutions. This fosters innovation by helping researchers bring their ideas to the marketplace, where they can touch the lives of Canadians,” says the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology), today announcing funding of $121.6 million in support of top researchers. The investment announced also includes an additional $7.1 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for research infrastructure associated with the new Chair awards.
“Canada Research Chairs are working in areas of strategic importance to Canadians,” said Gilles G. Patry, President and CEO of the CFI. “The infrastructure investments that we are making as part of these awards will leave a lasting legacy in the communities where these researchers work.”
The 155 chair holders will conduct research in diverse fields, with potential benefits for policy-makers, businesses, practitioners and Canadians.