A professor in the Northern Medical Program (NMP) at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) has been named the University’s ninth Canada Research Chair (CRC). Dr. Sarah Gray, the NMP’s first-ever Canada Research Chair appointment, has been named a CRC in Integrative Physiology of Diabetes. The Northern Medical Program is part of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC). 

Dr. Gray’s research is funded for $500,000 over the next five years. “This is a great honour for me,” says Dr. Gray. “I feel very fortunate to have this funding for my research and to have the stability it will provide my lab for the next five years.”

Dr. Gray’s research focuses on the link between obesity and diabetes. Recent data suggests there are 350-million diabetics worldwide. Three million of these cases are Canadians who in 2010 incurred costs of $12.2 billion. “Novel strategies to reduce diabetes prevalence are urgently needed,” says Dr. Gray. ”My research aims to understand the biological processes linking obesity with diabetes. Our goal is to identify therapeutic targets to reverse or else prevent diabetes and provide empirical evidence to support lifestyle interventions.”

The Canada Research Chairs program was established by the Government of Canada to attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds and stands at the centre of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world's top countries in research and development.

“It’s very fitting that a researcher of Dr. Gray’s calibre has been appointed the NMP’s first Canada Research Chair,” says UNBC’s Vice-Provost of Medicine and UBC’s Regional Associate Dean for Northern BC, Dr. Paul Winwood. “This is emblematic of the NMP’s maturation as a research institution and reflects the fact that our faculty conduct world-class research as well as train physicians.”

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Media: Dr. Sarah Gray is currently at a conference in Vancouver. Please contact her at 250.640.0912 to arrange an interview. She is most available to receive calls between 1pm-2pm on October 12, 2012.

Dr. Sarah Gray