“Being a bold leader means creating an environment in which everyone feels comfortable bringing bold and disruptive ideas forward. I’m focused on implementing these ideas to ensure that The Ottawa Hospital is a leader in integrating research into patient care, ” said Dr. Rebecca Auer.The Ottawa Hospital’s Executive Vice-President of Research and Innovation, Dr. Rebecca Auer, is being recognized by WXN (Women’s Executive Network) as a “Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner.” Dr. Auer is also CEO and Scientific Director of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, as well as a leading surgical oncologist and translational cancer research scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa.
The theme for the 2024 edition of WXN’s Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards is “Be Bold.” This year, WXN is recognizing 103 bold women for their leadership and groundbreaking achievements that have meaningfully transformed their industries, companies, communities and country. The winners will be celebrated in person at the 22nd annual Top 100 Awards Gala, hosted at the Fairmont Royal York Toronto on November 27.
“Being a bold leader means creating an environment in which everyone feels comfortable bringing bold and disruptive ideas forward,” said Dr. Auer. “That’s the kind of environment I’ve always tried to create, whether it’s in the lab, the operating room or the board room. Now, I’m focused on implementing bold ideas to ensure that The Ottawa Hospital is a leader in integrating research into patient care. Research is critical because it provides our patients with access to the most innovative therapies, as well as hope for a better future.”
Dr. Auer completed her medical degree at Queen’s University, receiving the Gold Medal in Medicine. She then completed her residency in General Surgery while concurrently completing an MSc in Biochemistry at the University of Ottawa. Following this, she completed a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, serving as Chief Fellow for the Department of Surgery.
In 2007, Dr. Auer was recruited to The Ottawa Hospital as a surgical oncologist and scientist, where she focused on developing innovative cancer therapeutics. In 2018, she became Director of Cancer Research at The Ottawa Hospital and in 2023, she won the hospital’s Chretien Researcher of the Year Award. In 2024, Dr. Auer was appointed as Executive Vice-President of Research and Innovation at The Ottawa Hospital and CEO and Scientific Director of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.
Dr. Auer has also provided leadership at the national and international level, serving as the Research Chair for the Canadian Association of General Surgeons, co-founder of the Canadian Cholangiocarcinoma Collaborative and executive member of the Canadian Cancer Trials Group and the Perioperative Care Network. She is also the Canadian representative for the Global Forum for Cancer Surgeons and a Special Expert on the Gastrointestinal Steering Committee of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
“Bold women are all around us, and with these prestigious awards, we celebrate the boldest of the bold who redefine what’s possible through their power, passion and purpose,” said Sherri Stevens, Owner and CEO of WXN. “This year’s winners inspire women who follow in their footsteps and entire communities to dream bigger, aim higher and push beyond boundaries. Their impact creates a ripple effect that lifts future generations up and sets new standards for bold achievement.”
The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa and supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.
