Pioneering Physical Therapist wins 2009 Jonas Salk Award

- Dr. Janice Eng to be presented award at March of Dimes Canada's Ability and Beyond Luncheon

TORONTO , Nov. 25 /CNW/ - March of Dimes Canada and sanofi pasteur are thrilled to announce the 2009 winner of the Jonas Salk award at the upcoming Ability and Beyond Luncheon, taking place November 26th at the Toronto Marriott Eaton Centre.

Dr. Janice Eng is a professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia. Her research has made significant advances in the knowledge and treatment of individuals who have survived a stroke or have a spinal cord injury. Much of her research is community-focused aimed at improving the lives of stroke and spinal cord injury survivors by developing innovative therapies. Dr. Eng has developed exercise programs for stroke survivors that reduced the risk of fractures; improve walking ability and hand use, cardiovascular fitness, and walking for people with an incomplete spinal cord injury. Her treatments have been rolled out internationally, and are now being used in over 75 different countries.

Since 1992, Dr. Eng has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles appearing in the highest-impact journals of rehabilitative medicine, including Stroke, Bone, Journals of Neurotrauma and the Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

"It was my honour to nominate Dr. Eng for this award," says Dr. Susan R. Harris , who supported Dr. Eng 's nomination for the award. " Dr. Eng is internationally recognized for developing novel treatments to assist people with disabilities, and improving the functional capabilities and quality of life of the people she treats," she continues.

The award is jointly sponsored by sanofi pasteur (formerly known as Connaught Laboratories) and March of Dimes. It also includes a personal financial tribute of $10,000 in recognition of the recipient's achievement.

With the release of the life saving polio vaccine in 1955, Dr. Jonas Salk established a worldwide reputation as a scientist and a humanitarian. The Jonas Salk Award is presented annually to a Canadian scientist, physician or researcher who has made a new and outstanding contribution in science or medicine to prevent, alleviate or eliminate a physical disability.

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, provided more than 1.6 billion doses of vaccine in 2008, making it possible to immunize more than 500 million people across the globe. A world leader in the vaccine industry, sanofi pasteur offers the broadest range of vaccines protecting against 20 infectious diseases. The company's heritage, to create vaccines that protect life, dates back more than a century. Sanofi Pasteur is the largest company entirely dedicated to vaccines. Every day, the company invests more than EUR 1 million in research and development. For more information, please visit: http://www.sanofipasteur.com or www.sanofipasteur.ca.

March of Dimes Canada (http://www.marchofdimescanada.ca/modc/modc.asp) is a nationally registered charitable organization providing support services to people with disabilities, their families and caregivers across Canada . For more information about the award, or the organization, please visit the website at www.marchofdimes.ca or call 1-800-263-3463.

For further information: Ruth Kapelus, Public Relations Coordinator, March of Dimes Canada, 10 Overlea Blvd., Toronto, ON, M4H 1A4, Phone: [phone] ext. 7254, Fax: [phone], [email protected], www.marchofdimes.ca