Dr Bettina Hamelin

Dr Bettina Hamelin has been appointed president and CEO of Ontario Genomics, replacing Dr Mark Poznansky who is leaving after nearly seven years in the positions. Hamelin will be responsible for overseeing and directing the agency’s genomics technology pipeline which to date has assisted 16 genomics firms to the “investor ready” stage of development and secure $197 in follow-on funding. She comes to Ontario Genomics from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council where she was VP research partnerships, bringing a strong mix of industry, academic and public sector experience as the genomics research moves towards more applied applications. While at NSERC — which she joined in 2015 following the departure of Janet Walden — Hamelin oversaw a $360-million annual portfolio as VP research partnerships. Prior to that, Hamelin spent 12 years at Pfizer Inc where she held a number of senior positions including Canadian medical lead (vaccines) and head, strategic research partnerships for Western Canada. Between 1994 and 2002 she was an associate professor at Laval Univ’s faculty of pharmacy. Hamelin received a BSc in both chemistry and pharmacy in Germany before moving to North America where she obtained a PharmD from the Univ of Kentucky. More recently she received an executive MBA at the Univ of British Columbia. Hamelin will assume her new roles August 1st. At NSERC, Hamelin will be replaced on an interim basis by Bert van den Berg, director of Colleges Community and Portfolio Planning, until a permanent replacement is identified.