Eminent scientist and professor Dr. Connie Eaves is being recognized as one of the most creative and accomplished biomedical scientists advancing solutions to problems facing humanity around the world.
On the 60th anniversary of the Canada Gairdner Awards, which recognize scientists who make transformative contributions to research that impact human health, the Gairdner Foundation announced Dr. Eaves as the 2019 recipient of the Canada Gairdner Wightman Award.
“This is a fantastic recognition of what teamwork, striving to push the frontiers of science, can do,” said Dr. Eaves. “It is a particularly proud moment for stem cell science — a now burgeoning field of clinical medicine everywhere — one that traces its conceptual origins to earlier Canadian Gairdner laureates and one that our group has extended to multiple tissues and diseases.”
This professor of medical genetics at UBC and distinguished scientist in the Terry Fox Laboratory at the BC Cancer Agency is receiving this award for her pioneering work and leadership in the study of hematopoietic, mammary and cancer stem cells, as well as for her dedicated advocacy for early-career investigators and women in science.
“Dr. Eaves is an outstanding member of our faculty who is exceptionally deserving of this award,” said Dermot Kelleher, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Vice-President of Health for UBC. “Not only does her research exemplify the value of collaborating across disciplines, she is also dedicated to training the next generation of researchers to help find cures for cancer and leukemia.”
The work
Dr. Eaves’ research has focused on leukemia and breast cancer and the normal tissues in which these diseases originate. Eaves, along with her scientist husband, Dr. Allen Eaves, and a dedicated group of talented trainees, developed methodologies to isolate putative stem cells from living mouse and human tissues and detect them based on their ability to grow as single cells in specialized tissue cultures or in transplanted mice. This made it possible to quantify blood and mammary gland stem cells and discover a hidden population of suppressed normal blood stem cells in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, an observation that stimulated a search for new therapies for this disease. Her group also showed that leukemic stem cells are actually not dividing most of the time. Her studies of breast cells revealed that similar principles apply to understanding the normal growth of this tissue.
More recently, Dr. Eaves has developed new methods for creating human leukemia and breast cancer experimentally. She is to be inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in May 2019.
Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. Eaves has demonstrated outstanding national and international leadership. She co-founded the Terry Fox Laboratory at the BC Cancer Agency, was a leader in the Canadian Stem Cell Network and held multiple senior roles in the National Cancer Institute of Canada, where she spearheaded the establishment of the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance to create the first national source of breast cancer research funding in Canada.
In addition to the national and international accolades received throughout her career, Dr. Eaves is recognized for her exceptional commitment to the training of more than 100 scientists from around the world, including many now in senior leadership positions. Dr. Eaves is also a passionate advocate for the advancement of women in science, a commitment that led to her recognition as a Status of Women Canada Pioneer.
The impact
Dr. Eaves has shown great initiative and immense talent across her five-decade career. Her dedication to multidisciplinary research and to providing the best training possible for aspiring researchers has strengthened Canadian science and garnered international recognition.
Her scientific findings have been paradigm-shifting, driving the field of stem cell research forward. Her provision of reproducible and rigorously quantitative methods for analyzing the rare cells responsible for maintaining normal blood and mammary tissues has enabled many new lines of research. Dr. Eaves continues to apply cutting-edge technology and elegant experimental design to the most pertinent problems in stem cell biology and cancer research, constantly contributing to the ongoing pursuit of cures.
The award
Laureates receive a $100,000 cash honorarium and will be formally presented with their awards on Oct. 24, 2019 at the annual Canada Gairdner Awards Gala in Toronto.
To learn more about the recipients, visit Gairdner’s website.