Executive management
Acting President

Dr. Tammy Clifford

On May 8, 2024, Dr. Tammy Clifford was appointed Acting President of CIHR through a Governor in Council appointment.

Dr. Clifford’s substantive position at CIHR is Vice-President, Research – Learning Health Systems. In this role, she provides direction in the areas of patient-oriented research, clinical trials, science policy, and equity strategies, in addition to leading the Centre for Research in Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies. As a member of CIHR’s Executive Management Committee, she also works with Governing Council and Scientific Directors to help define and oversee the organization’s strategic directions.

Prior to this role, Dr. Clifford served as Vice-President, Research Programs at CIHR, providing leadership on the design, development, and administration of CIHR’s funding programs and science policies.

Before joining CIHR, Dr. Clifford was the Chief Scientist and Vice-President, Evidence Standards, at the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH), where she served in a number of senior leadership roles over more than a decade. As a member of CADTH’s executive team, she led the implementation of four strategic plans, piloted important organizational changes, launched new programs, and oversaw the production of evidence synthesis reports for Canadian decision makers.

At the beginning of her career, Dr. Clifford led and supported a number of maternal and child health research projects at CHEO’s Research Institute, where she also served as a member of the Research Ethics Board. During her academic career, she was a principal investigator on a number of knowledge translation research projects, and served as a CIHR peer reviewer, as well as a member of CIHR’s Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health Advisory Board.

Dr. Clifford received her PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Western Ontario, and her BSc and MSc from McGill University. She is currently an adjunct professor with the School of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa, where she has supervised or advised a number of masters, doctoral, and post-doctoral students. She is recognized for her exceptional leadership abilities, as well as for her passion and commitment to knowledge translation, and to mentoring the next generation of health researchers.

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