VP Research only Canadian elected this year to prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Professor and Vice-President Research Mona Nemer has been elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, joining the likes of singer John Legend, actor Carol Burnett and mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani in this year’s class. Nemer was the only member from Canada chosen for 2017. She was selected for her outstanding contributions to the field of heart genetics.

“It’s such a vital organ, but people often still assume it is just a pump — a very simplistic view of the heart,” said Nemer. “Researchers are extremely well placed to continue unlocking the heart’s genetic secrets, but just as importantly, to translate these discoveries into better patient care.”

Founded in 1780, the academy is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States, gathering some of the world’s most accomplished scholars, scientists, artists, and business and civic leaders.

“It is truly an honour to be selected as a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences,” said Nemer. “I look forward to helping the academy pursue its goal ‘to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people.’”

Previous members of the academy include its founders, John Adams, James Bowdoin, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, and other notable historical figures such as John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Georgia O’Keefe, Albert Einstein and Nelson Mandela. The academy’s current members include over 250 Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners.

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Main photo credit: @Chuttersnap