Faculty of Arts & Science
Biological Sciences

Dr. Olga Kovalchuk, an internationally-respected biological sciences and epigenetics researcher at the University of Lethbridge, can now add Recipient of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40(TM) to her already long list of accomplishments.

Canada’s Top 40 Under 40(TM) is a prestigious national award program, which annually honours 40 Canadians in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors under the age of 40.

The program, now in its 15th year, is managed by founding sponsor, The Caldwell Partners International. In addition to The Caldwell Partners, national sponsors include Deloitte, National Bank Financial, The Globe and Mail, and WestJet.

Kovalchuk and her peers were selected from over 1200 nominees by an independent Advisory Board, comprised of 25 business leaders from across Canada. She is one of seven Albertans and six women among the award recipients.

“This is an outstanding award for Olga, the members of her lab team, for her research collaborators here and literally world-wide -- and for our University,” said U of L President Dr. Bill Cade.

“Olga has worked very hard to bring new research and new programs to the University and has influenced countless young researchers. With her husband and research collaborator Dr. Igor Kovalchuk – who are both Board of governors Research Chairs here at the U of L -- they have brought new people with a wealth of international talent to the University community. It is an understatement to say that we are extremely proud of her achievement.”

Dr Olga Kovalchuk’s research focuses on the effects of long-term exposure to radiation, and how that exposure changes cellular and molecular structures in animals and people.

Since 1995, Kovalchuk, who is also a medical doctor, has been involved in the detailed analysis of the genetic consequences of the Chernobyl accident in the Ukraine, and is currently researching the mechanisms by which radiation induces cancer.

She also studies ‘bystander effect’ of radiation exposure on cells near to areas under treatment by radiation therapy.

Dr. Kovalchuk’s work examines how radiation induces secondary tumours in cancer patients, the different effects radiation has on women and men, and what can be done to protect the children of radiation-exposed parents from contracting cancer.

In addition to continued funding and support from numerous agencies, including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Alberta Cancer Foundation and others, she was recently appointed a Chair of the Institute for Gender and Health by the Canadian Institute for Health Research to further this, and other work -- which was inspired by her experience as a high school student in the Ukraine in 1986, while living only 600 kilometres from Chernobyl, the site of the worst nuclear accident in history.

With a cross disciplinary team or researchers at the University of Lethbridge and other centres world-wide, Dr. Kovalchuk and her colleagues are developing a research centre at the U of L to study epigenetics -- how an individual gene can go wrong or not work properly over a person’s lifetime.

Epigenetics (which means ‘beyond genetics’ in Latin) is the study of how individual genes and components of individual genes can change in response to environmental conditions or other factors.

Nearly 20 U of L researchers from three academic departments (Neuroscience, Chemistry and Biochemistry and Biological Sciences) and up to 50 graduate and doctoral-level researchers will be involved in the initial phases of the research.

Significant expansions are planned for future years of the research program, which received a significant amount of start-up funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and the Government of Alberta’s Alberta Science and Research Investments Program (ASRIP) and other funding sources, including the U of L.

Canada’s Top 40 Under 40(TM) Honourees were chosen on five key criteria: vision and leadership; innovation and achievement; impact; community involvement and contribution; and strategy for growth.

The 2009 Recipients of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 TM are featured in The Globe and Mail on Monday, June 7th.

Honourees will attend a series of celebratory events at the beginning of June in Toronto, including an Awards Ceremony to be held at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre at 12noon on Tuesday, June 8th where they are presented with their Top 40 Crystal Cube.

Read additional information about this award and Dr. Kovalchuk at these websites:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/managing/top-40-under-40-2009/top-40-under-40-awards-celebrate-canadian-leaders/article1590908/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/managing/top-40-under-40-2009/olga-kovalchuk-39-alberta/article1591199/

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Bob Cooney, Communications and PR Officer (403) 382-7173