Dr. Annan drives an overarching strategy that promotes the value and potential of genomics in Canada to Genome Canada’s major stakeholders, while raising the public profile of Genome Canada both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Annan is an accomplished and respected expert on research and innovation policy. A Fellow of the Public Policy Forum, he has led projects and convened discussions around research and innovation strategy.

During seven years at Mitacs – a non-profit, national research organization that manages and funds research and training programs for undergraduate, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in partnership with universities, industry and government – Dr. Annan helped build a Canadian success story in the development and delivery of policy-driven innovation programs. In his roles as Chief Research Officer and interim Chief Executive Officer, he was a key leader on Mitacs’ corporate strategy, stakeholder relations, research and evaluation, and policy analysis.

As an innovation strategist and a strong communicator, Dr. Annan consults with governments, organizations and institutions across Canada on research strategy and policy, and speaks regularly with public and private audiences across Canada.

Dr. Annan volunteers on the Board of Directors for Let’s Talk Science, a national charity dedicated to increasing STEM literacy among K-12 students. He has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from McGill University and undergraduate degrees in English from Queen’s University and in Biology from the University of Victoria.

Dr. Duncan Stewart is a pioneering Canadian cardiovascular researcher, recognized for his many important discoveries in blood vessel biology, as well as his dedication to translating these discoveries into benefits for patients and society. After beginning his career in academic cardiology at McGill University in Montreal, he moved to Toronto as Head of Cardiology at St. Michael’s Hospital and later became Director of the Division of Cardiology, and Executive Director of the McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine at the University of Toronto. He was recruited to lead the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) in 2007.

Dr. Stewart has published more than 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has received a number of distinctions and prizes, including the Dexter Man Chair of Cardiology and Research Achievement Award of the University of Toronto, and the Research Achievement Award of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Throughout his career, Dr. Stewart has demonstrated leadership in bringing diverse groups of clinicians and scientists together to put Canada on the world stage for translational cardiovascular and regenerative medicine research.

As well as serving as CEO and Scientific Director of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Dr. Stewart is a senior scientist in OHRI's Regenerative Medicine Program and holds the Evelyne and Rowell Laishley Chair. He is Vice-President of Research at The Ottawa Hospital and a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa.