OTTAWA, September 3, 2024 — The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) and its members have elected a University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) scientist, Dr. Emilio Alarcón, to the incoming cohort of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, the highest honour an individual can achieve in the arts, social sciences, humanities and sciences.
Those named to the College represent the emerging generation of scholarly, artistic and scientific leadership in Canada. The College consists of mid-career leaders who provide the RSC with a multigenerational capacity to help Canada and the world address major challenges and seize new opportunities, including those identified in emerging fields.
“I am honoured to be elected to the RSC College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists,” said Dr. Alarcón, who is an expert in materials design and biomedical devices and the director of the Bio-nanomaterials Chemistry and Engineering Laboratory at the UOHI. “The University of Ottawa Heart Institute and the Faculty of Medicine have played a vital role in supporting my team and career development.”
At the Heart Institute, Dr. Alarcón and his colleagues have carried out a range of innovative research projects that have earned prominent placements in some of the world’s leading academic journals. Most recently, Dr. Alarcón and his team have developed a library of bioinspired molecules that mimic tissue structures similar to those found in humans. Their research may accelerate potential clinical translation for tissue and organ repair.
Dr. Alarcón is a champion for increasing diversity in academia and biomedicine. As an elected member of the RSC College and a person on the autism spectrum, he said, “I am excited for the opportunities to help broaden understanding of what it means to be a medical scientist with a disability.”
For more information
To learn more, read the press release issued by the Royal Society of Canada or read this article by the University of Ottawa.
To coordinate an interview with Dr. Emilio Alarcón, please contact the liaison named below.
Media contact
Leigh B. Morris
Communications Officer
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
613-316-6409 (cell)
lmorris@ottawaheart.ca