Dr. Mona Nemer became Canada’s Chief Science Advisor in September 2017. Prior to her appointment, Dr. Nemer was Professor and Vice-President of Research at the University of Ottawa and Director of its Molecular Genetics and Cardiac Regeneration Laboratory.
A leader in the field of molecular cardiology, her work has contributed to the development of diagnostic tests for heart failure and the genetics of cardiac birth defects. She is the author of over 200 academic publications that have appeared in prestigious scientific journals, and has trained over 100 students from various countries.
Dr. Nemer has served on several national and international advisory committees and boards, including as an Executive Committee Member of the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force and an ex-officio member of the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force. She is also the recipient of many national and international honours. Dr. Nemer is a Member of the Order of Canada, a fellow of the Academy of Sciences of the Royal Society of Canada, a fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science, a Knight of the Ordre national du Québec, and a Knight of the French Republic’s National Order of Merit. She has been awarded honorary doctorates from France, Finland, and Lebanon.
Dr. Nemer holds a PhD in Chemistry from McGill University and has done post-doctoral training in molecular biology at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute and Columbia University. Prior to joining the University of Ottawa, she was a Professor of Pharmacology at the Université de Montréal and directed the Cardiac Genetics Unit at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute.