Royal Society of Canada recognizes two emerging research leaders at UCalgary

Two University of Calgary scholars have been welcomed as new Members of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada. Announced on Sept. 13, Dr. Eric Smith from the Cumming School of Medicine and Charlene Elliott, PhD, from the Faculty of Arts will be presented as Members of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists on Nov. 18 in Kingston, Ont.

“Our two new Royal Society of Canada members have been singled out for their exceptional work as emerging scholars,” says Elizabeth Cannon, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Calgary. “We celebrate their excellent work that is improving the quality of life for Canadians and congratulate them on receiving RSC recognition — Canada’s highest scholarly honour. We are privileged to have them in our community.” 

Eric Smith’s work on dementia and stroke outcomes has already earned international acclaim. Based in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, and a member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute in the Cumming School of Medicine, Smith is investigating how vascular disease contributes to cognitive decline and dementia. Smith holds the Katthy Taylor Chair in Vascular Dementia, and also leads the Vascular Illness sub-team of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging, Canada’s dementia research strategy. His research aligns with the university’s Brain and Metal Health strategic research theme.

Communications scholar Charlene Elliott has earned a reputation for her novel, interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaborations that are looking at how food marketing and policy impacts consumer perceptions and behaviour. Elliott is the Canada Research Chair in Food Marketing, Policy and Children’s Health in the Faculty of Arts, with a joint appointment to the Faculty of Kinesiology. She is also a member of the Alberta Children’s Health Hospital Research Institute and the O’Brien Institute for Public Health in the Cumming School of Medicine. Her research provides evidence-based solutions to prevent and control non-communicable diseases, a current global health challenge. Her work addresses the challenges highlighted in the Human Dynamics in a Changing World strategic research theme.  

The two new members, along with the five scholars recently named as New Fellows, will bring the total number of RSC scholars at the University of Calgary to 67.  Included among them are President Cannon and Vice-President (Research) Ed McCauley. See a full list of RSC scholars. 

Founded in 1882, the Royal Society of Canada comprises the academies of arts, humanities and sciences in addition to The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, Canada’s first national system of multidisciplinary recognition for the emerging generation of Canadian intellectual leadership. Its mission is to recognize scholarly, research and artistic excellence, to advise governments and organizations, and to promote a culture of knowledge and innovation in Canada and with other national academies around the world.