Two UCalgary postdocs receive Alice Wilson Awards for outstanding academic qualifications

Author Briana Van Den Bussche for the Office of the Vice-President (Research) Two University of Calgary postdoctoral scholars, Dr. Jacquie Baker, PhD, and Dr. Rosanne Blanchet, PhD, have been awarded the Royal Society of Canada's Alice Wilson Award for outstanding academic qualifications in health sciences. The scholars have won two of four available awards, a first for UCalgary in at least 15 years. The Alice Wilson Award is presented annually to four or fewer women, chosen from the female winners of postdoctoral fellowships of the federal tri-agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). It is named for Dr. Alice Wilson, a world-renowned paleontologist and the first woman elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 1938. "We are thrilled to have two UCalgary postdocs recognized by the Royal Society of Canada," says Dr. Penny Pexman, postdoctoral program director and associate vice-president (research). "Drs. Baker and Blanchet are pursuing bold new ideas in their research, and we look forward to all they will accomplish." Blanchet's work focuses on examining socioeconomic position as a way to explain racial inequities in health, while Baker is looking at new ways to measure and treat low blood pressure caused by autonomic nervous system failures.