GlycoNet investigator at uOttawa elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

By Chardelle Prevatt – April 28, 2017

GlycoNet investigator Dr. Mona Nemer, the University of Ottawa’s Vice-President, Research and a professor of biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine, has been elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Nemer is the only Canadian among 228 new academy members announced earlier this month.

Founded in 1780, the Academy is a prestigious honorary society, a policy research centre, and an incubator for emerging intellectuals in academia, business, and government. Dr. Nemer follows in the footsteps of historical greats such as Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Albert Einstein, Margaret Mead, Winston Churchill, and Nelson Mandela, who were all notable members of the academy.

“I’m very proud and honoured for the recognition, although credit goes to all of my team members,” said Dr. Nemer. “It’s a tribute to Canadian science and the great work that we do in the area of life sciences.”

Dr. Nemer has a PhD in bioorganic chemistry from McGill University. Prior to her arrival at the University of Ottawa, Nemer was a professor of pharmacology at the Université de Montréal, Director of the Cardiac Development Research Unit at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Cardiovascular Cell Differentiation.

Dr. Nemer’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of heart development and function, particularly in relation to heart failure and congenital heart diseases. She is renowned, among other things, for her pioneering work on the regulation of natriuretic heart hormones and the identification of several genes essential for heart development. To date, she has published more than 150 articles in prestigious scientific journals and books.

“We’re extremely proud of Dr. Nemer’s accomplishment,” GlycoNet Scientific Director Dr. Todd Lowary remarked. “The award is a fitting testament to the high standards of Canadian health research.”

The new class will be inducted at a ceremony on October 7, 2017, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

For a complete list of the new members, click here.