Minister of State Goodyear Applauds B.C. Geneticist, Recipient of Canada's Premier Medical Award

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 25, 2011) - The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology), today issued the following statement:

"I want to congratulate Dr. Michael Hayden on receiving the 2011 Canada Gairdner Wightman Award. As the most cited author on Huntington's disease in the world, Dr. Hayden is a proven leader in the field of medical genetics. The prestigious Gairdner Wightman Award, the latest in Dr. Hayden's long list of honours, recognizes exceptional leadership in medicine and medical science.

"This is great news for the Canadian research community and great news for Canadians. The Government of Canada is a proud supporter of Canadian research. Dr. Hayden has held the Canada Research Chair in Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine at the University of British Columbia since 2001. His work is a superb example of how attracting and retaining top researchers contributes to our quality of life and strengthens Canada's contribution to international research excellence."

The Canada Research Chairs program supports up to 2,000 research chairs at universities across Canada. It invests $300 million per year to attract and retain some of the world's most accomplished and promising minds.