Dr. Max Cynader has been appointed to a Chair in the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) College of Reviewers, a new program that will serve CIHR and its stakeholders by bringing together a diverse cohort of researchers to enhance the quality of the peer review process.
In this prestigious position, Dr. Cynader looks forward to leveraging his unique perspective and experience to adapt the traditional peer review process to evolving and converging research fields, and to ensure CIHR’s system meets the needs of Canadian researchers.
“The College of Reviewer Chairs are meant to provide expert, high-level input as to how best to stretch Canadian research funding and help fund exciting, much-needed projects, and to ensure the integrity of peer review,” says Dr. Cynader. “For me, this opportunity is about making Canadian science the best that it can be.”
Dr. Cynader, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Brain Development and is a leader in translational neuroscience, joins 14 other researchers as Chairs in the CIHR College of Reviewers. As a group, the researchers were selected for their breadth of experience, and for the diverse perspectives they bring to the college: taken collectively, they represent the complete scope of CIHR’s research and knowledge translation mandate, and individually offer considerable experience and leadership as peer reviewers.
CIHR expects that this program will generate advice and specific recommendations to the Chief Scientific Officer on the quality of its peer review process.
“I’ve been supported by CIHR for my whole career,” says Dr. Cynader. “On a personal note, this is my chance to give back, and to help find ways to empower Canadian researchers. I’m proud to be involved, and am looking forward to helping move us forward, and to making Canada even more competitive in terms of innovation and discovery.”
The appointment begins July 1, with the first in-person meeting of the Chairs to take place in Ottawa in October. “There are already papers stacking up on my desk,” says Dr. Cynader. “This is an exciting time for science, and I’m thrilled to be taking this on.”
