Many great scientists are driven by the desire to understand and improve human health. This is a common desire—we all wish to experience good health throughout our lives, and to receive effective medical treatment if we get injured or sick. Scientists that study health-related questions are leading this journey towards improved human wellbeing. Their jobs are incredibly challenging, because the human body is extremely complex. Countless bodily processes are constantly occurring, all at the same time. Understanding even one process takes great effort, but it is an even bigger challenge to understand the relationships between processes and how these interrelated processes affect human health. Nonetheless, great advances are happening in human health research every year. Through step-by-step research, our understanding of the human body deepens, so that we can eventually manage health-related problems that were previously out of our reach—improving human health with each breakthrough. The Gairdner Foundation was established in 1957, with the goal of recognizing and rewarding international excellence in basic research that impacts human health. Every year, the Gairdner Foundation celebrates the world’s best biomedical and global health researchers by giving eight awards to top scientists. Between 1957–2023, 418 awards were given to scientists from over 40 countries. 98 Gairdner Laureates have subsequently won prestigious Nobel Prizes in their fields of research. The Gairdner Foundation believes in coming together to openly discuss science. Open discussions can better engage the public, give us a deeper understanding of the problems we face, and motivate us to work together to find solutions. The Foundation also works hard to inspire the next generation of scientific innovators and to foster a society that is well informed about science. In this collection, you will read about some of the great discoveries made by winners of the Canada Gairdner Awards—scientific contributions that have significantly impacted human health. These discoveries span diverse areas of science, including biology, chemistry, biomedicine, neuroscience, engineering, and technology. The articles in this collection will dive into fascinating scientific questions, such as: • Do human cells talk with bacteria? • Can we develop new kinds of antibiotics? • Is there a better way to treat brain tumors? • Can we use artificial intelligence to speed up medical research? As you read, you will learn about the newest research addressing these intriguing questions. To continually improve our answers and our understanding of human health, scientists must keep working to deepen their knowledge of these and other scientific mysteries. Hopefully, curious minds like yours will join the efforts and contribute to the meaningful journey toward optimal human wellbeing!

The evolution of human beings has been shaped to a large extent by microbes. A number of microbes are innocuous or even contribute to our health equilibrium. This is the case of bacteria and viral phages present in our gut. However, several bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi are damaging our bodies, causing a number of acute and chronic diseases. Until recently, these bugs represented the main causes of death. Better hygiene, vaccines, antibiotics and other anti-microbial drugs have resulted in a better control or cure of many infections. However, malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS still represent major threats in several countries and the recent epidemics of Ebola and Zika demonstrate how vulnerable we are to newly emerging viruses. Furthermore, diarrhea and pneumonia caused by bacteria or viruses still kill millions of children worldwide. Most importantly, bacteria resistant to existing antibiotics are multiplying at a high pace and these superbugs are expected to kill more and more people in the coming years. Clearly, we need to develop more effective approaches to tackle bugs and superbugs. Better hygiene and better vaccine coverage must be considered first and education of kids is essential in this respect. This is the main objective of this series of papers published in Frontiers for Young Minds under the heading “How to Fight Harmful Microbial Bugs and Superbugs?”. Another key objective of the collection is to elicit the interest of children for research on innovative anti-microbial therapies and vaccines.

Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, Salim S. Abdool Karim was catapulted into a prominent position in the media and on television as the face of South African science in the country's response to the pandemic. Up to that point, his groundbreaking research on AIDS had garnered many awards, leading to his recognition as one of the world’s leading epidemiologists, making him ideally positioned to take the scientific lead in the Covid-19 response. Standing Up for Science is Abdool Karim’s personal, behind-the-scenes account of the first three years of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is inspiring and informative, shedding light on the difficulties in providing scientific advice, on the international co-operation that was integral to responding to the pandemic, as well as giving insight to some of the controversies in the science-to-policy process, and drawing lessons from Covid-19 to prepare for future pandemics. Beyond the recent events in which the story is grounded, the book is an ode to the value of science and its power to help us tackle some of the world's biggest problems.

Even though mental illnesses are common and cause great suffering in every part of the world, many health workers have a limited understanding about mental health and are less comfortable dealing with mental illness. This book is a practical manual for mental health care for the community health worker, the primary care nurse, the social worker and the primary care doctor, particularly in developing countries. After giving the reader a basic understanding of mental illness, the book goes on to describe more than 30 clinical problems associated with mental illness and uses a problem-solving approach to guide the reader through their assessment and management. Mental health issues as they arise in specific health care contexts are described, for example in a refugee camp, a school health programme or with people suffering from AIDS, as well as in mental health promotion. The final section combines quick reference information for common problems and it also includes chapters for the reader to personalise the manual for a particular location, for example, by entering local information on voluntary agencies, the names and costs of medicines and words in the local language for emotional symptoms.

Now in its 93rd year of publication this standard Canadian reference source contains comprehensive and authoritative biographical information on notable living Canadians. Those listed are carefully selected because of the positions they hold in Canadian society or because of the contribution they have made to life in Canada. entries are added each year to keep current with developing trends and issues in Canadian society. Included are outstanding Canadians from all walks of life: politics, media, academia, business, sports and the arts, from every area of human activity. memberships, creative works, honours and awards and full addresses. Of use to researchers, students, media, business, government and schools it is a useful source of general knowledge.