Dr Lynn Buchanan has been appointed VP life sciences at the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI). Buchanan replaces Ken Lawless who joined OCRI in 2006 following its merger with the Ottawa Life Sciences Council, of which he was president. Lawless left the organization last year. Buchanan will head up OCRI Life Sciences with a mandate to re-engage the Ottawa life sciences community, set strategic directions for existing networks in medical and clean technologies and target growth in emerging areas and development opportunities. She holds a BSc from Concordia Univ and a PhD in anatomy and experimental pathology from Scotland's Univ of St Andrews. Her career includes senior roles in R&D and business and corporate development with Montreal-based BioResearch Laboratories (now Charles River CTBR), Wyeth Research in the US and MDS Nordion in Ottawa. Buchanan's experience also includes coaching new companies and entrepreneurs on strategies for bridging the gap between discovery, research and regulatory approval to the marketing of new drugs and products on the healthcare and life sciences sectors….