Who's Listening

CIHR is governed by a Governing Council of up to 18 members. Sixteen members, including the Chair, are voting members, and 2 are non-voting, ex officio members: the Deputy Minister and the President of CIHR.

The Science Council (SC) is chaired by the President and composed of all 13 Scientific Directors, the Executive Management Team, the Director of Science, Knowledge Translation and Ethics and two non-voting ex-officio members. SC develops, implements and reports on CIHR's research and knowledge translation strategy, in accordance with the CIHR Act and the overarching strategic directions set out by Governing Council. This includes approving funding for all research and knowledge translation initiatives.

Dr. Michael Strong was appointed President of CIHR, effective October 1, 2018. Prior to joining CIHR, Dr. Strong was Dean of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and a Distinguished University Professor at Western University. From 2000 to 2010, he served as the Chief of Neurology and Co-Chair of the Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences at the London Health Sciences Centre and Western University. He has also served as Co-chair of the Canadian ALS Research Consortium and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the ALS Society of Canada.

Dr. Strong's clinical research has focused on understanding the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He is particularly interested in the occurrence of non-motor manifestations of the disease including the cognitive, behavioural, and emotional syndromes associated with ALS. His lab has focused on defining the role of alterations in tau protein metabolism in the frontotemporal syndromes of ALS and, increasingly, in traumatic brain injury.

Dr. Strong has published over 185 peer-reviewed articles and 29 chapters, edited four textbooks, and been invited to give over 160 lectures on ALS research, throughout Canada and around the world. He is a recipient of both the Sheila Essey Award and the Forbes Norris Award, the only Canadian to have received both awards for ALS research. He was also awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, in 2012, for his contributions to ALS research and care.

Dr. Strong earned his degree in medicine at Queen's University, undertook neurology training at Western University, and completed postgraduate studies at the Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Tammy Clifford was appointed Vice-President, Research Programs at CIHR, on October 4, 2018. In this role, Dr. Clifford provides leadership for the design, development, and administration of CIHR’s funding programs and science policies. As a member of CIHR’s Executive Management Committee, she also works with Governing Council and Scientific Directors to help define and oversee the organization's strategic directions.

Before joining CIHR, Dr. Clifford was the Chief Scientist and Vice-President, Evidence Standards, at the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH), where she served in a number of senior leadership roles over the past decade. As a member of CADTH’s executive team, she led the implementation of four strategic plans, piloted important organizational changes, and oversaw the production of evidence synthesis reports for Canadian decision makers.

At the beginning of her career, Dr. Clifford worked on a number of maternal and child health research projects at CHEO’s Research Institute, where she also served as a member of the Research Ethics Board. More recently, she had been a principal investigator on a number of knowledge translation research projects, a peer reviewer, and a member of CIHR’s Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health Advisory Board. 

Dr. Clifford received her PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Western Ontario, and her BSc and MSc from McGill University. She is currently an adjunct professor with the School of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa, where she supervises a number of masters, doctoral, and post-doctoral students. She is recognized for her exceptional leadership abilities, as well as for her passion and commitment to knowledge translation, and to mentoring the next generation of health researchers.

Dr. Sarah Viehbeck is the Associate Vice-President, Research Programs Strategy at CIHR. In this role, Dr. Viehbeck is responsible for all science-related strategy and policy development. She also leads the design of a comprehensive suite of programs and initiatives to support CIHR’s mandate, with a priority focus on growing and maintaining a strong and sustainable Canadian health research workforce. Prior to this role, Sarah was Head of Governance Renewal at the Agency and, in this capacity, led an agency-wide change and continuous improvement agenda to clarify decision-making processes and structures and CIHR’s Head Performance Measurement where she played an instrumental leadership role in the implementation of the Government of Canada’s Policy on Results. Sarah has offered leadership for strategic activities related to performance measurement and evaluation, population and public health ethics, knowledge translation, international partnerships, and Indigenous health research. Sarah is a member of the Canadian Evaluation Society and graduate of the International School on Research Impact Assessment. Through her role as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Waterloo’s School of Public Health and Health Systems and the University of Ottawa’s Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, Sarah maintains a research program and is engaged in teaching. Sarah is a proud mother and volunteers as a Board member of the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health and as President of her neighbourhood’s Community Association Board.

Alison has held various leadership positions during her twelve years at CIHR. In her current role, she oversees the breadth of CIHR’s science policies and strategies, including work in the areas of capacity development; ethics; equity, diversity and inclusion; health research data; knowledge translation; open science; and research excellence. Specific to equity, diversity and inclusion, Alison is responsible for CIHR’s Equity Strategy, and will be leading the development of CIHR’s action plan to address systemic racism in our funding system.

Adrian Mota is the Associate Vice-President, Research Programs - Operations, at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). In this role, he is responsible for ensuring that CIHR supports and advances the highest international standards of excellence in health research. A strong proponent of continuous improvement, Adrian encourages his teams to take evidence-based approaches to the development, enhancement, and implementation of CIHR’s funding opportunities and peer review process.

Prior to joining CIHR’s Executive Management Committee, Adrian was the Director General of the Operations Support branch, where he was responsible for CIHR’s applicant and grant holder support services. These included CIHR’s Contact Centre, applicant support platforms, funding opportunity quality assurance, grants and awards policies, post-funding administration, and data management systems.

Adrian first joined CIHR in 2005 and has held a variety of positions within the agency, including Acting Director of Knowledge Translation and Manager of Business Implementation. In the latter role, he led the design and implementation of large-scale reforms of CIHR's open funding competitions and peer review processes. He also led the development of new business systems aimed at strengthening CIHR’s programs and policies.

Adept at both carpentry and automotive mechanics, Adrian began his professional career in the construction industry and is the proud owner of a 2001 Harley-Davidson Sportster and a completely rebuilt 1956 Triumph TRW.

Adrian holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa.