Dr. Elizabeth Barrett-Connor is a professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. An internationally recognized expert in epidemiology, Barrett-Connor’s main focus is on the factors promoting a healthy old age. She is founder and director of the three-decade-old Rancho Bernardo Heart and Chronic Disease Study, which has produced data defining causal factors for diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis as well as cardiovascular disease. Her research focuses on healthy aging and gender differences in disease, with strong emphasis on women’s health. She is principal investigator of the largest cardiovascular disease prevention trial ever conducted in women “- RUTH “- which also has breast cancer prevention as a co-primary outcome.
Widely regarded as one of the preeminent basic cardiovascular research programs in the world, the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences (ICS) is led by Dr. Pawan Singal and is a leading force in the fight against heart disease at the cellular and molecular levels. A joint institute of St. Boniface Hospital and the University of Manitoba, the ICS is also home to the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, the journal Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences, and its journal Experimental & Clinical Cardiology.
The event was co-chaired by Dr. Brian Postl, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba; and The Honourable Jim Rondeau, Minister of Healthy Living, Seniors and Consumer Affairs. The event was sponsored by the St. Boniface Hospital Foundation.