September 9, 2003
The Hospital for Sick Children receives $2 million gift to establish Mira Godard Chair in Vision Research
TORONTO - The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) announced today a $2-million gift from Mira Godard, establishing in perpetuity, the Mira Godard Chair in Vision Research. This is the first private donation to a vision research chair in Canada. The chair, held jointly with the University of Toronto, will provide vital resources to ensure that advances continue to be made in the research and treatment of eye disorders leading to blindness.
"Seeing is my business, because art is all about seeing," says Mira Godard. "Scientific research is also about seeing, about making connections and revealing what is hidden."
Mira Godard is an internationally renowned Canadian art dealer. She is owner of the Mira Godard Gallery, one of Canada's largest commercial art galleries, and founding president of the Professional Art Dealers Association of Canada. In 1988, she was appointed Member of the Order of Canada. In 2002, she received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Ryerson University.
Dr. Elise Héon is announced as the inaugural holder of the Mira Godard Chair in Vision Research at The Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. Héon, the first female head of a surgical unit at the University of Toronto, is Ophthalmologist-in-Chief at SickKids, associate scientist, Genetics and Genomic Biology at the SickKids Research Institute, and associate professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Héon is internationally recognized for her clinical research on the genetics involved in inherited eye disorders, most specifically in glaucoma, cataracts, and retinal dystrophies.
"I am honoured to be named the first holder of the Mira Godard Chair in Vision Research," says Dr. Héon. "The development of new sight-preserving therapies relies on the understanding of genetic defects and it would be impossible for our research to move ahead without such a generous gift."
The Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at SickKids is a world-renowned eye care centre dedicated to advancing the specialty of paediatric ophthalmology and care of children's eye problems.
The Hospital for Sick Children, affiliated with the University of Toronto, is Canada's most research-intensive hospital and the largest centre dedicated to improving children's health in the country. Its mission is to provide the best in family-centred, compassionate care, to lead in scientific and clinical advancement, and to prepare the next generation of leaders in child health. For more information, please visit www.sickkids.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Public Affairs
The Hospital for Sick Children
555 University Avenue
Suite 1742, Public Affairs, First floor Atrium
Toronto,
ON
M5G 1X8
Canada
Phone: 416-813-5058
Fax: 416-813-5328