Congratulations to Dr. Brad Wouters, UHN’s Executive Vice President of Science and Research, for receiving the 2021 CCRA Award for Exceptional Leadership in Cancer Research from the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance (CCRA).
The award, which was presented to Dr. Wouters at the virtual 2021 Canadian Cancer Research Alliance Conference on November 8, 2021, recognizes a leader who has made exceptional contributions to fostering transformative cancer research in Canada. Specifically, the award honours Dr. Wouters contributions to strengthening the position of University Health Network as a world‐renowned health care and research organization, his research on the tumor microenvironment and hypoxia, and his advocacy work to ensure continued federal support for cancer research during the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Dr. Wouters is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Hypoxia and the Tumor Microenvironment. His research focuses on the importance of hypoxia as a driver of aggressive tumor growth and resistance to radiotherapy and drug treatments. The overarching aim of his research is to identify the molecular pathways that promote hypoxia tolerance and drive cancer development in order to develop new anticancer therapies—especially those that can be tailored to individual patients. Aspects of his research have already been translated to clinical trials.
As a co-leader on various multidisciplinary and national cancer initiatives, Dr. Wouters is committed to encouraging meaningful collaboration between scientists and clinicians. “Bringing expertise together has opened the door to tackling questions that would have been beyond the scope of what my lab could have accomplished alone,” comments Dr. Wouters. His collaborative model for discovery and translation has advanced the field of molecular cancer biology and meaningfully improved the health of patients in Canada and worldwide.
In addition to being an exceptional leader, Dr. Wouters is also a tireless advocate for cancer research. His efforts at the early stages of the pandemic played an essential role in maintaining Canada’s position in the fight against cancer. Dr. Wouters led an advocacy campaign to support hospital research programs that had been inadvertently excluded from the federal COVID-19 support program. The result was a $450M commitment from the government of Canada that enabled the continuation of countless research studies and activities at UHN.
Dr. Wouters is a distinguished scientist, an exceptional leader and an advocate for cancer research in Canada and abroad. His tireless efforts have and will continue to shape the research landscape in Canada and world-wide.