Congratulations to Rémi Quirion, PhD, FRSC, CQ— scientific director of the Douglas Hospital Research Centre and of the Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction, one of the thirteen Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)—for being named an Officer of the Order of Canada. The announcement was made Monday, February 20, by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, who will be presenting the insignias to Rémi Quirion and his co-recipients at a future ceremony.

The Order of Canada is the highest honorary distinction in our country. It recognizes exceptional lifetime contributions to Canada and to humanity at large. Rémi Quirion is renowned for his outstanding achievements in mental health research. If we are to better understand the complexity of the central nervous system, both in its normal and pathological state, we must have a better understanding of the many ways cells communicate through a multitude of neurotransmitters and receptors. This is the scientific quest undertaken by Rémi Quirion.

“Rémi Quirion is an outstanding researcher and an undisputed leader in mental health research,” says Jacques Hendlisz, Douglas Hospital director general. “We are immensely proud of his accomplishments and their impact on Douglas Hospital Research Centre. We congratulate him for this much-deserved recognition on being named an Officer of the Order of Canada.”

Rémi Quirion enjoys an international reputation. He has received many awards, including the 1997 Prix Léo-Pariseau, awarded by the Association canadienne-française pour l'avancement des sciences (ACFAS); the Ambassador's Medal at the 1999 "Gala du rayonnement" from the University of Sherbrooke for his contribution to the advancement of scientific knowledge; and the 1997 Prix Galien Canada for excellence and innovation in Canadian pharmaceutical research. In 2004, he received the highest honor bestowed by Quebec government in biomedical science, the Wilder-Penfield Award. Proclaimed one of the most highly-cited investigators in the fields of neurosciences and pharmacology by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI-United States), Rémi Quirion is recognized by his peers as one of the top research scientists in the world. He was also named Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and awarded the title of National Champion of Mental Health by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health.