2nd prize: Ouhida Benrezzak, Université de Sherbrooke
Ouhida Benrezzak emigrated to Québec in 1982 and completed her graduate studies at Université de Sherbrooke, earning a master’s degree in biology from the Faculty of Science and a doctorate in anatomy and cell biology from the Faculty of Medicine. From 1988 to 2006, she worked as a lecturer in the Department of Biology at Université de Sherbrooke and as a research professional at the university and in industry. Since 2006, she has served as the scientific coordinator of the Université de Sherbrooke Centre of Excellence and CHUS Research Centre in Diabetes, Obesity and Cardiovascular Complications, supporting synergies between sector research groups to maximize Université de Sherbrooke’s performance, training programs and scientific outreach.
As an expert in animal model and technological platform management for basic and clinical research, Ouhida contributed to the intensification of diabetes imaging collaborations through her professional management of ethical processes and animal transfers, the development of a prediabetic dog model she oversees and the enhancement of state-of-the-art research premises and infrastructures, including a large animal imaging facility, a PET/CT scanner to predict diabetes in humans, a densitometer, indirect calorimetry and angiography rooms and an animal testing room.
In April 2019, Ouhida Benrezzak received the Prix Maurice-Groleau, which is awarded by the executive committee of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Université de Sherbrooke