Robarts scientist named to Canada’s Top 40 Under 40™

LONDON, ON (May 3, 2005) -- Robarts cell biologist Dr. Stephen Ferguson has today been named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40™ for 2004. A panel of Canadian executives selected the award recipients from more than 1,400 nominations. As a scientist and Director of the Cell Biology Research Group at Robarts, Dr. Ferguson works to tease apart the mechanisms by which cells in the body communicate with each other. These cellular signals – and how they maintain and alter the function of cells – are of fundamental importance in understanding how a range of disorders develop, from Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s to heart disease and cancer. Dr. Ferguson’s research, broadly described as the “cell biology of aging”, is also key to designing targeted new drugs to better treat these diseases. “It’s a real honor to be recognized among this group of very accomplished Canadians from across different fields,” said Dr. Ferguson, 39, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Molecular Pharmacology and is associate professor in the Department of Physiology & Pharmacology at The University of Western Ontario. He will join this year’s honorees at a series of events, including an awards ceremony in Toronto today. Dr. Ferguson was born and raised in London and pursued his undergraduate and PhD studies at McGill University in Montreal before postdoctoral training at Duke University Medical Centre in Durham, North Carolina. He was recruited to Robarts in 1997. “As an exceptional scientist and leader in his field, Steve is an excellent choice for the Top 40 award,” said Dr. Mark Poznansky, Robarts President & Scientific Director. “He publishes in the top journals in his field, his work is highly cited and he’s continuously finding new ways to investigate important questions in biology and medicine.” Dr. Ferguson is the third Robarts scientist to earn the prestigious Top 40 designation: stem cell biologist Dr. Mick Bhatia was selected in 2001 and imaging scientist Dr. Ravi Menon was named in 2002. Dr. Menon was also chosen -- by a vote among Top 40 winners over the past 10 years -- as one of the Top 5 “best of the best” for achievement in health/science. -30- For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Linda Quattrin at (519) 663-3021.