– In October, 2014, McGill University and Douglas Mental Health University Institute neurobiologist Michael Meaney, a senior fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, won the 2014 Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize (CA$1.16 million) awarded by the Zurich-based Jacobs Foundation, an international organization dedicated to the contribution of productive youth development. Meaney – the first Canadian to receive this major prize – was rewarded for his groundbreaking research on how experience during the early years influences biological development, and can ultimately affect cognitive and social abilities. This research has the potential to improve the lives of children all around the world.
– The jury of experts stated that Meaney deserved the award for his “pioneering, cutting edge research on the biological mechanisms for how parental behaviour affects offspring development.” On his side, Meaney said: “These findings provide an understanding of how it is that the early social environment can persistently influence the function of the brain and the mental health of individuals over their lifespan.”
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