Dr. Jean Himms-Hagen (D.Phil FRSC), joined the Department of Biochemistry of the Faculty of Medicine as an Associate Professor in 1967 and became a Full Professor in 1971. Throughout her 32 year academic career at the University of Ottawa she contributed greatly to all aspects of academia. Dr. Himms-Hagen directed leading-edge and internationally recognized research into the metabolic and physiologic functions of brown adipose tissue. Her research program also contributed to the successful training of 17 PhD and 4 MSc students. She authored 116 articles in highly regarded peer-reviewed journals as well as 58 invited reviews and book chapters.
During her academic career, she was awarded numerous research honours and distinctions including a Career Investigator Award from the Medical Research Council (MRC) of Canada, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and Researcher of the Year (University of Ottawa). In 1995, she received the prestigious MRC President's Award recognizing 35 years of continuous grant support from MRC.
The University of Ottawa appointed her as Professor Emeritus in 1999. Dr. Himms-Hagen also provided administrative leadership during terms as Acting Chair and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry. Her exemplary teaching contributions to the Biochemistry Undergraduate Program in the Faculty of Science, resulted in her being awarded the Dean's Award for Excellence (Faculty of Medicine) in 1995.