Ottawa & Toronto, ONTARIO – February 7, 2013 – ParticipACTION, the national voice of physical activity and sport participation in Canada, and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute are pleased to announce that Dr. Mark Tremblay has been awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Governor General of Canada. Medals are awarded to individuals who have distinguished themselves from others through their achievements and sustained contribution to their field.

ParticipACTION received Medal nominations for approximately 200 individuals from across Canada and named 55 recipients in the physical activity sector. “Each recipient was chosen by a selection committee of prominent Canadians in the physical activity sector,” says Kelly Murumets, President and CEO of ParticipACTION. “The presentation of this Medal is a tribute to the dedication, passion and commitment that has been made to getting Canadians more active and ultimately contributing to a healthier nation.”

Under Dr. Mark Tremblay’s direction, the Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) research group at the CHEO Research Institute is committed to leading the battle against unhealthy living behaviours. Through research, leadership, partnerships, education and advocacy, HALO aims to promote and preserve healthy active lifestyles while managing and treating childhood inactivity and obesity. Dr. Tremblay, himself, has published more than 170 papers and book chapters on related topics and he has delivered over 500 scholarly conference presentations, including more than 120 invited and keynote addresses across 16 countries. He currently sits on the Board of half a dozen organizations relating to his research practice area.

“We are extremely proud of Dr. Tremblay and congratulate him on receiving this esteemed honour,” says Dr. Martin Osmond, CEO and Scientific Director of the CHEO Research Institute. “This Medal serves to honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians and by extension of the profound reach of his research portfolio and advocacy, I cannot think of anyone more deserving.”

For more information about Dr. Mark Tremblay’s research practice area, please visit: http://www.cheori.org/en/healthyactivelivingandobesityOverview.

About ParticipACTION
ParticipACTION is the national voice of physical activity and sport participation in Canada. Originally established in 1971, ParticipACTION was re-launched in 2007 to help prevent the looming inactivity crisis that faces Canada. As a national not-for-profit organization solely dedicated to inspiring and supporting healthy and active living for Canadians, it works with its partners, which include sport, physical activity, recreation organizations, government and corporate sponsors, to inspire and support Canadians to move more. ParticipACTION is generously supported by Sport Canada. For more information, visit www.participACTION.com.

About the CHEO Research Institute
Established in 1984, the CHEO Research Institute coordinates the research activities of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and is one of the institutes associated with the University of Ottawa teaching hospitals. The Research Institute brings together health professionals from within CHEO to share their efforts in solving pediatric health problems. It also promotes collaborative research outside the hospital with partners from the immediate community, industry and the international scientific world. For more information, please visit www.cheori.org.