Parminder Raina (pictured) was named a Member of the Order for “his leading research in ageing and population health in Canada and for his impact on national policymaking in geriatric care services.” Photo credit: McMaster University/Laura Lawson via CBC
Last week, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, announced 85 new appointments to the Order of Canada.
The new appointees include one Companion (C.C.), 13 Officers (O.C.) and 71 Members (C.M.). Three individuals were also promoted from Officer to Companion, and one Member was promoted to Officer.
“The Order of Canada celebrates the lives, endeavours and successes of people from coast to coast to coast and from all walks of life,” said Simon. “Those being appointed…come from a variety of sectors, have achieved national and international success, and have shown ingenuity, innovation and generosity. What’s more, they have made a difference in their communities and for Canada with their outstanding dedication and commitment.”
This year’s list of appointees feature one representative from Hamilton: McMaster University’s Parminder Raina.
Raina is a Professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, Lead Principal Investigator of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, and Scientific Director of the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging. He holds a Canada Research Chair in Geroscience and the Raymond and Margaret Labarge Chair in Research and Knowledge Application for Optimal Aging and is one of the founding members of the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal and the Ontario Research Coalition of Aging Institutes/Centres.
According to his official citation, Professor Raina was named a Member of the Order for “his leading research in ageing and population health in Canada and for his impact on national policymaking in geriatric care services.”
Raina’s ground-breaking Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) was designed collaboratively with co-principal investigators from McGill and Dalhousie universities to advance the science of aging in Canada and across the globe. Its findings are used by researchers across the country to develop evidence to inform decisions at all levels of government.
The CLSA follows 50,000 people who were between the ages of 45 and 85 at recruitment, collecting information every three years until 2033 on the biological, medical, psychological, social, lifestyle and economic conditions affecting their lives as they age.
“My motivation is to make McMaster the premier location for aging research in Canada and grow a network that supports emerging researchers and trainees moving forward, as well as research that directly impacts the lives of older people and their families,” Raina told McMaster’s Daily News last week.
“The CLSA is one of the largest cohorts concerning aging in the world and establishing it is one of my and colleagues’ proudest moments. This scientific platform is now a global resource for researchers studying aging.”
Most recently, the CLSA conducted extensive research on the impact of COVID-19 on older adults’ health. Raina and his research colleagues found that 43 per cent of adults over 50 experienced moderate or high levels of depressive symptoms at the beginning of the pandemic, which increased over time.
The findings, according to the field-leading professor, directly influenced how the Public Health Agency of Canada addressed the mental well-being of older adults in the pandemic.
Raina was one of four McMaster alumni and/or faculty members (past or present) named to the Order this year.
Investment in the Order is the country’s highest civilian honour. Only about 7,600 individuals have been invested since creation of the Order by Her Majesty in 1967.
