Dr. Rebecca Ganann wins Postdoctoral Fellow Leadership Award
Jun 1, 2017
Guylaine Spencer
Dr. Rebecca Ganann, a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Nursing, received a leadership award for her work with the “Aging, Community and Health Research Unit” (ACHRU) at the Faculty of Health Sciences Research Plenary Awards Reception on May 31.
The honour, bestowed by Health Sciences Graduate Studies, “recognizes postdoctoral fellows in areas of health science research who have made outstanding contributions to the broader community, by leading graduate student or postdoctoral fellowship initiatives. The purpose of the award is to recognize excellence in leadership and generosity in initiatives to improve the community for other trainees.”
Ganann’s area of interest is engaging patients and the public in research teams and she plans to become an independent health services researcher.
“The ACHRU, under the leadership of its co-Scientific Directors, has a strong commitment to building research capacity. As part of my postdoctoral fellowship, I have played a leadership role in ACHRU’s trainee-led Capacity Building Committee,” says Ganann. “The purpose of this committee is to support the development of research capacity among trainees, new investigators, research staff, and the broader ACHRU. We offer additional training and support for learners that goes beyond their traditional graduate or undergraduate program. Over the past few years we have, in partnership with Maureen Markle-Reid’s Canada Research Chair, offered a seminar series, workshops, and networking events to build knowledge and skills in research, health services delivery, and health systems. I have also played a leadership role in a 12 Team Capacity Building initiative through the CIHR Signature Initiative in Community-Based Primary Health Care (CBPHC), which offers opportunities for trainee learning, development, and networking across this pan-Canadian network.”
Ganann’s co-supervisors for her postdoctoral fellowship are Drs. Maureen Markle-Reid, Ruta Valaitis, and Carrie McAiney, who are internationally recognized as experts in home and community care, implementation science, aging and multimorbidity.
“Rebecca has demonstrated exceptionally strong research skills for her stage of career,” says Dr. Valaitis. “I have seen her confidently and consistently take on leadership roles within research teams, most recently as a co-Principal Investigator on a Labarge Foundation Grant focused on collaborating co-designing with older adults a communication toolbox to meet their needs for accessing trusted health information. She has also taken a lead role in assessing trainee needs, planning, and implementing a range of learning opportunities to support research capacity development amongst over 50 interdisciplinary trainees across Canada. She is extremely deserving of this award.”
Related Faculty