Acknowledging her exceptional contributions to health sciences, neuroscientist Dr. Gerlinde Metz has become the University of Lethbridge’s first professor to be named a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Fellow (CAHS). Fellows are recognized by their peers nationally and internationally for their contributions to health sciences and have demonstrated leadership, distinctive competencies and a commitment to advance health sciences.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have been elected to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences,” says Metz. “It is truly an honour to join the ranks of CAHS and it is also a recognition of the excellent research environment at ULethbridge and the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience and the neuroscience department in particular. Achieving milestones in innovative health research is only possible through collaborative efforts with our colleagues and through the significant accomplishments of our trainees. This recognition is a tribute to all of them!”
Metz was one of 48 Fellows to be elected to the CAHS for 2023. Election to the CAHS Fellowship is considered one of the highest honours for those who work in health sciences in Canada.
“I would like to personally congratulate all the applicants that were elected as a Fellow in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences for 2023. This recognition reflects their dedication and excellence in their field,” said Dr. Jan Sargeant, Chair of the Fellowship Committee, in a news release. “We look forward to having their expertise further enrich the work of our Academy.”
Metz focuses on the influence of experience and environment on behaviour and brain plasticity. Her research has indicated that adverse experiences at any time in life can raise the risk of disease. More recent research has concentrated on the effect of stress on subsequent generations where results have shown that the experiences of grandparents and parents can influence the health of their children.
One of the research streams for Metz and her research lab is the effect of stress on health. Their research has examined the effects of prenatal stress from events such as the Quebec ice storm in 2013 and the Fort McMurray wildfire in 2016. She and her research team have also looked at the importance of studying sex differences, the value of touch therapy following stroke, developing a urine analysis to diagnose concussion and enhance recovery, pre-term labour and the effects of space travel on astronauts’ health.
Metz completed a BSc at the University of Giessen, in Giessen, Germany. She did graduate work at the University of Giessen and ETH Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland and completed a PhD at ETH Zurich. She is a Professor of Neuroscience at ULethbridge’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, a Tier 1 Board of Governors Research Chair in Healthy Futures and Adjunct Professor with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Alberta and an associate member of the University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute.
In its announcement, the CAHS provided a summary of her research.
“Her research investigates how experiences, both positive and negative, affect brain health from early development to old age. Her pioneering work has demonstrated that transgenerational stress affects the well-being of future generations, which is now leading to new tools for risk prediction and diagnosis of human disease. Devoted to interdisciplinary and translational research and training around the globe, her work advances precision health with benefits for the most vulnerable populations.”
The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, a non-profit organization, works to ensure are appropriate expertise and best scientific evidence are available to provide advice for a healthy Canada.