Providence Health Care Research Institute Board of Trustees Appoints Ms. Karimah Es Sabar as New Chair
Vancouver, June 27, 2011 — Providence Health Care Research Institute (PHCRI), home to several world-renowned research groups, has named Ms. Karimah Es Sabar as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees. In affiliation with the University of British Columbia, the Research Institute’s main objective is to improve the health and treatment of patients and residents of Providence Health Care (PHC) through relevant, ethical and inspired health research.
Ms. Es Sabar, currently the Senior Vice President, Business and Strategic Affairs at The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD), also serves as a board member for a number of organizations, including the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research and The Vancouver Prostate Centre, a UBC and Vancouver General Hospital Centre of Excellence. As the new Board Chair for PHCRI, Ms. Es Sabar brings with her strong ties to the local and international research communities as well as experience from her dynamic career in the life sciences industry.
Under the leadership of two exceptional past chairs, Dr. Simon Pimstone and Dr. Michael O’Shaughnessy, research funding at PHCRI has consistently grown over the past six years. PHCRI is the research arm of Providence Health Care, which includes laboratory, clinical and epidemiological research in several fields, such as HIV/AIDS, heart and lung disease, urban and mental health and elder care. Ms. Es Sabar’s appointment will support growth of scientific discovery and funding at PHCRI by furthering partnerships with the biotech community, government agencies and other research organizations throughout the Lower Mainland, the province and world. Under Ms. Es Sabar’s direction, Providence Health Care Research Institute will strive to reach new heights in exploring innovative areas of research and funding sources.
Prior to her current position at CDRD, Ms. Es Sabar led BC Biotech in re-engineering and rebranding the organization to LifeSciences BC. As President, she led the organization to its greatest level of success as a strong business development organization for the life science industry and the scientific research community. Ms. Es Sabar has held senior management positions with international and multinational companies, most notably as Director, International Division and later Director, Marketing and Business Development at Connaught Laboratories Limited (now Sanofi Pasteur) based in Toronto. More recently, Ms. Es Sabar was Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Medsurge Medical and was the founder and managing director of SAL Healthcare Limited, a leading pharmaceutical marketing and distribution company based in Kenya.
Ms. Es Sabar received the CABE Award (Canada's Gold Award for Business Excellence) while at Sanofi Pasteur, was the recipient of the Women of Distinction Award in 2010 for Industry, Science and Technology, was listed on “The Vancouver Power 50” listing of the most influential people in BC as published by Business in Vancouver, and most recently on “BC's Top 100 Women of Influence” listing by the Vancouver Sun.
Ms. Es Sabar holds a BSc. Joint Honours Degree in Biochemistry/Chemistry from the University of Salford, England and a MSc. Degree in Neurochemistry from the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London, England.
About Providence Health Care
Providence Health Care is one of Canada's largest faith-based health care organizations, operating 15 facilities within Vancouver Coastal Health. Guided by the principle “How you want to be treated,” PHC's 1,200 physicians, 6,000 staff and 1,500 volunteers deliver compassionate care to patients and residents in British Columbia. Providence’s programs and services span the complete continuum of care and serve people throughout B.C. PHC operates one of two adult academic health science centres in the province, performs cutting-edge research in more than 30 clinical specialties, and focuses its services on six “populations of emphasis”: cardio-pulmonary risks and illnesses, HIV/AIDS, mental health, renal risks and illness, specialized needs in aging and urban health.
About Providence Health Care Research Institute
Providence Health Care Research Institute was established in 2005 to promote and oversee research programs at Providence Health Care. Over 150 researchers contribute to the research community at Providence and about 40 per cent of these researchers also have clinical responsibilities. The Research Institute acknowledges the rapidly changing health care environment and embraces such challenges in order to find solutions to questions that arise in PHC care settings. The Institute also trains and mentors new researchers, and encourages inter-disciplinary and inter-professional collaborations, knowledge transfer and partnerships with patients and communities. For more information on Providence Health Care Research Institute, please visit our website at www.providenceresearch.ca.
For more information contact:
Justin Karasick
Senior Public Affairs Officer - Providence
Lower Mainland Communications and Public Affairs
Tel 604.806.8460
Cel 604.992.2503
jkarasick@providencehealth.bc.ca
