• Awarded on: April 7, 2014

Barbara C. Vanderhyden
Ottawa, Ontario

For the past two decades, Barbara Vanderhyden has combined volunteerism with her scientific work as a cancer researcher. In 1993, she established the Let's Talk Science-Parlons Science program, which later became a national charitable organization. In 2006, she established and still runs Science Travels-La science voyage, providing workshops in remote northern First Nations and Inuit communities. In 2009, she created an Aboriginal mentorship program that matches science graduates with promising Native high school students from reserves near the National Capital Region. Parallel to her career and these other initiatives, she has held volunteer leadership positions with Ovarian Cancer Canada, and still finds the time to meet one-on-one with women who struggle with their diagnosis of ovarian cancer.