Prestigious scholarship awarded to University of Regina researcher studying post-traumatic stress disorder

News Release Release Date: August 3, 2011 12:00 p.m.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper awarded the prestigious 2011 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships today to 167 graduate students from across Canada and around the world who are pursuing their doctoral studies at Canadian universities, including University of Regina graduate student Mathew Fetzner. Fetzner, a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology will receive $150,000 ($50,000 per year for three years) through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

This is the first Vanier scholarship awarded to a doctoral student at the University of Regina and will help the University to attract high-calibre doctoral students worldwide.

"The value of the scholarship goes far beyond its funding," said Alain Beaudet, president of CIHR. "For the next three years, these new scholars will join the ranks of Canada's research community, working side by side with our best researchers, including the Canada Excellence Research Chairs and the Canada Research Chairs, to improve quality of life for all Canadians."

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship was created to attract and retain world-class doctoral students and to brand Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning. The scholarship is available to both Canadian and international PhD students studying at Canadian universities.

"The University of Regina is proud to acknowledge and congratulate Mathew Fetzner on his outstanding achievement," said Rod Kelln, dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. "His success in receiving this preeminent award is testimony to the high quality of his graduate research work, his leadership activities and his exceptional academic record. Student scholars, through their innovative research, are helping to position Canada as a competitive leader in science and technology."  

Fetzner said he was honored and humbled by this prestigious award. "I consider this a credit to the amazing work being done in my lab as well as a testament to the incredible leadership given by my supervisor Dr. Gordon Asmundson," said Fetzner. "I believe this award will allow me to continue my commitment to conduct novel and worthwhile research aimed at improving treatment for individuals affected by post-traumatic stress disorder."

Fetzner's research will study the effects of aerobic exercise on reducing post-traumatic stress disorder, which could ultimately relieve the physical and mental suffering of thousands of people while reducing the economic burden on Canada's healthcare system.

Nominees for the Vanier scholarship undergo a rigorous selection process. Potential scholars are nominated by their Canadian university and then evaluated by selection committees struck by Canada's three research granting agencies-the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). An international, blue-ribbon selection board then ranks Vanier scholarship recipients and recommends them for funding.

For a complete list of all recipients of the 2011 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, visit http://www.vanier.gc.ca/