Left to Right: Heather Blewett, PI, CCARM; Chris Siow, PI, CCARM; Dan Brown, Deputy Team Leader, PI, CCARM; Suzanne Vinet, Deputy Minister, AAFC; Johanne Boisvert, Science and Technology Director, Manitoba, AAFC; Sonja Forget, Senior Policy Advisor, Deputy Minister’s Office; Dean Vey, Regional Director, Agri-Food Trade Services, AAFC; Bob Nawolsky, Deputy Director, Mid-Western Regional Office, Agri-Food Trade Service, AAFC; Peter Zahradka, PI and CCARM Team Leader
Representatives of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) toured Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine (CCARM) facilities at St. Boniface Hospital Research today.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada ‘s Deputy Minister, Suzanne Vinet and her Senior Policy Advisor Sonja Forget visited the St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre and the toured the laboratories of the Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine (CCARM) as part of her initial Out Reach Activity with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada staff and sector Stakeholders. This was the second Out Reach trip to Research and Regional sites outside of Ottawa for the newly appointed (September 2012) Deputy Minister and part of her plan to visit a wide range of her AAFC operations sites across Canada. The four AAFC-staffed Principal Investigators and their laboratory staff at CCARM are part of AAFC’s national priority initiative to “Enhance human health and wellness through food, nutrition and innovative products”.
Hosted by Executive Director of Research Dr. Grant Pierce and CCARM Team Leader Dr. Peter Zahradka, the group toured laboratories and clinical trial facilities at the St.Boniface Hospital Research Centre as well as the I.H. Asper Clinical Research Institute. Programs highlighted on the tour included Molecular Physiology (Peter Zahradka), Innovative Therapy Research (Chris Siow), Bioactives Research (Dan Brown), Heart Failure Research (Thomas Netticadan) and Nutritional Immunology (Heather Blewett).

Dr. Heather Blewett, Principal Investigator, Human Nutrition and Immunology, CCARM; Suzanne Vinet, Deputy Minister, AAFC; Sonja Forget, Senior Policy Advisor, Deputy Minister’s Office

Suzanne Vinet, Deputy Minister, AAFC

Dean Vey, Regional Director, Agri-Food Trade Services, AAFC

Dr. Chris Siow, Principal Investigator, Innovative Therapy Research Laboratory, CCARM, with Suzanne Vinet, Deputy Minister, AAFC

Dr. Dan Brown, Principal Investigator, Bioactives Research, CCARM, with Suzanne Vinet, Deputy Minister, AAFC

Left to Right: Dr. Thomas Netticadan, Principal Investigator, Heart Failure Research Laboratory with Suzanne Vinet, Deputy Minister, AAFC

Dr. Grant Pierce welcomes Suzanne Vinet, Deputy Minister, AAFC