Meet Marie-Élise Parent, PhD
"I am very grateful to the CRS, which has played an important role in my research program. Thanks to the financial support I have received, my team and I can contribute to the development of cancer prevention measures."
We are delighted to introduce to you Dr. Marie-Élise Parent, a distinguished epidemiologist and a member of our Scientific Advisory Committee. She is also a Professor at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) of the Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Research Centre; an Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Health at Université de Montréal (Department of Social and Preventive Medicine); and an elected Member of the Scientific Council of the International Agency for Research on Cancer in the World Health Organization.
“My personal contribution to the Scientific Advisory Committee is to bring a perspective that is more specifically related to cancer prevention.”
Preventing cancer, especially prostate cancer, is one of Dr. Parent’s passions. Her research through epidemiologic studies, evaluates whether exposure to different environmental, lifestyle, and genetic factors plays a role in causing cancer. Before becoming one of the most recognized epidemiologists in the world, she did her undergraduate studies in nutrition in the 1980s, during which her career path came to light. It is during her doctoral studies that her interest in cancer epidemiology fully developed and that she noticed that a lot of data was available for many cancers, but sorely lacking for prostate cancer.
In her opinion, the CRS is doing outstanding work to support Canadian researchers engaged in the fight against cancer.
“I am very grateful to the CRS, which has played an important role in my research program. Thanks to the financial support I have received, my team and I can contribute to the development of cancer prevention measures.”
The CRS’ funding granted to her over the years, allowed Dr. Parent and her research team to establish one of the largest epidemiological studies in the world aimed at elucidating the environmental causes of prostate cancer.
Dr. Parent is a strong believer in the importance of collaborative research. When a research project is funded, the money doesn’t simply go to one specific project because the vast amount of data generated can then be used by other researchers in the same or other field.
“What we each develop in our specialties is often applied to another study, it’s all very collaborative. Each researcher and collaboration can add a new component, so it’s actually even very cost-effective that way.”
Dr. Parent also believes that the participation of researchers in the development of scientific and funding priorities is essential in the research ecosystem. It is therefore with great pleasure that she sits on our Scientific Advisory Committee next to other outstanding Canadian researchers, all working in various disciplines and united around a common mission: to defeat cancer through research.
The CRS’ mission to fund research on all types of cancer in order to better prevent, detect and treat this disease would not be possible without the generosity of our donors and many partners; and without the expertise and dedication of researchers to the cause.
About our Scientific Advisory Committee:
The Cancer Research Society (CRS) is fortunate to benefit from the insights of a highly committed Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) comprised of accomplished cancer research experts from various backgrounds who graciously volunteer their time for the cause. The role of the SAC is to advise the CRS on all scientific matters including cancer research priorities, the selection, organization and development of research funding programs, and the development of strategic partnerships.