University of Northern British Columbia Nursing professor John Cutcliffe recently returned from Parliament Hill where he was one of 20 researchers nationwide - and the first from UNBC - invited to participate in a major symposium on science and innovation.

The symposium was designed to bring together Canada's top young faculty and researchers, chosen from among 130 nominations. The event was organized by the Partnership Group for Science & Engineering, an association of more than 20 national organizations and a Canadian leader in advancing research and innovation.

"The majority of attendees were from universities that are the big players in Canada - McGill, UBC, McMaster, Waterloo - and I was one of the few from a small institution and the only one from the north," says Dr Cutcliffe, who came to UNBC a year ago. "We had fascinating discussions about research issues and trends, but we also had a real chance to influence debate on research granting and removing barriers to collaboration. It was a real honour to be invited and another opportunity for UNBC to gain important profile on the national stage."

"Though a relatively new addition to the faculty at UNBC, Dr Cutcliffe has been building a research program focusing on hope, hopelessness, suicide and caring for the suicidal person, mental health, and addictions," says Max Blouw, UNBC Vice-President Research. In addition to research, his teaching has included supervising clinical placements for Nursing students, mainly focusing on mental health and nursing research.

Dr Cutcliffe is also a partner - the only one from northern BC - in the province's new Centre for Addictions Research, based in Victoria. The Centre will focus on the causes, prevention, and treatment of addictions, including health service delivery to rural populations. Initially, research at the Centre will focus on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, addictions related to mental illness, and youth prevention.