In 2007, Prof. Singer received the Michael Smith Prize as Canada's Health Researcher of the Year in Population Health and Health Services. He is the Foreign Secretary of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, as well as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the US Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, and TWAS (The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World). Professor Singer has published over 270 research articles, received over $50 million in research grants and trained over 70 students.

Prof. Singer is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges for Global Health Initiative, and has advised the UN Secretary General's Office, the Government of Canada, several African governments, and Pepsico Inc. on issues related to global health. He studied internal medicine at University of Toronto, medical ethics at University of Chicago, public health at Yale University, and management at Harvard Business School. He is a former chairman of Branksome Hall School.

Prof. Singer's research is at the nexus of life sciences, entrepreneurship, and the developing world. The core ideas are: How can life sciences technologies move from 'lab to village' in the developing world? How can Canada grow economically by tapping into the 'demand pull' for its life sciences technologies from emerging economies? How can developing countries, particularly in Africa, accelerate commercialization of life sciences for health and economic development? His earlier contributions have included improvements in quality end-of-life care, fair priority setting in healthcare organizations, pandemic influenza planning and teaching bioethics.


Additional Appointments

• Fellow of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) (2009-)


• Special Advisor to the Dean of Medicine on Global Health and Innovation (2008-)


• Member, Chicago Global Health Initiative Advisory Board, University of Chicago (2008-)


• Member, Scientific and Industry Advisory Board of the BioVeda China Fund (2008-)


• Member, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (2008-)


• Fellow, Royal Society (Canada) (2007-)


• Advisor, United Nations Secretary General's Office on Secretary-General's Biotechnology Initiative (2006-)


• Member, Scientific Advisory Board, of the Grand Challenges in Global Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2003-)

• Melon CC, Ray M, Chakkalackal S, Li M, Cooper JE, Chadder J, Ke W, Li L, Madkour MA, Aly S, Adly N, Chaturvedi S, Konde V, Daar AS, Singer PA, Thorsteinsdottir H. A Survey of South-North Health Biotech Collaboration. Nature Biotechnology, March 2009, vol. 27 Number 3, pp. 229-232.

• Sibbald SL, Singer PA, Upshur RU, Martin DK. Priority setting: what constitutes success? A conceptual framework for successful priority setting. BMC Health Services Research, March 5, 2009, 9:43.

• Singer PA, Abdallah S. Daar. How biodevelopment can enhance biosecurity. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March/April 2009, vol. 65, no. 2, pp. 23-30.

• Al-Bader S, Frew SE, Essajee I, Liu VY, Daar AS, Singer PA. Small but tenacious: South Africa's health biotech sector. Nature Biotechnology, May 2009, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 427-45.

• Lavery JV, Singer PA, Ridzon R. Singh JA, Slutsky AS, Anisko JJ, Buchanan D. In global health research, is it legitimate to stop clinical trials early on account of their opportunity costs? PLoS Med, June 9, 2009. 9;6(6):e1000071.

• Singh JA, Bandewar S, Singer PA. Sex, Gender, and Health Biotechnology: points to consider. BMC International Health and Human Rights 2009, 9:15.

• Omobowale EB, Singer PA and Daar AS, The three main monotheistic religions and gm food technology: an overview of perspectives. BMC international health and human rights, Aug 22 2009, 9:18.

• Ray M, Daar AS, Singer PA, Thorsteinsdottir H. Globetrotting firms: Canada's health biotechnology collaborations with developing countries. Nature Biotechnology, September 2009, vol. 27, no. 9, pp. 806-14.

• Frew SE, Liu VY, Singer PA. A Business Plan to Help The Global South In Its Fight Against Neglected Diseases. Health Affairs, 2009, vol. 28,no.6, pp.1760-1773.

• Rezaie R, Frew S, Sammut SM, Maliakkal MR, Daar AS, Singer PA. Brazil's Entrepreneurial Sector Fueling Health Biotechnology Innovation. Nature Biotechnology, June 2008, vol. 26, pp 627-644.

• Seguin B, Hardy B, Singer PA, Daar AS. Bidil: Recontextualizing the Race Debate. Pharmacogenomics J. June 2008, vol. 8 pp.169-73.

• Hardy B, Seguin B, Goodsaid F, Jimenez-Sanchez G, Singer PA and Daar AS. The next steps for genomic medicine: challenges and opportunities for the developing world. Nature Reviews Genetics, October 2008, vol. 9, pp.S23-S27.

• Seguin B, Hardy B, Singer PA , Daar AS. Universal health care, genomic medicine and Thailand: investing in today and tomorrow. Nature Reviews Genetics, October 2008, vol. 9, pp. S14-S19.

• Hardy B, Seguin B, Ramesar R, Singer PA , Daar AS. South Africa: from species cradle to genomic applications. Nature Reviews Genetics, October 2008, vol. 9, pp. S19-S23.

• Hardy B, Seguin B, Singer PA, Daar AS. From diversity to delivery: the case of the Indian Genome Variation initiative. Nature Reviews Genetics, October 2008, vol. 9, pp. S9-S14.

• Rezaie R, Frew SE, Sammut SM, Maliakkal MR, Daar AS and Singer PA. India's Home-Grown Health Biotechnology Sector at a Crossroads. Nature Biotechnology, 2008, vol. 26, pp. 627-644.

• Frew SE, Sammut SM, Shore AF, Ramjist JK, Al-Bader S, Rezaie R, Daar AS and Singer PA. Chinese health biotech and the billion-patient market. Nature Biotechnology, 2008, vol. 26, pp. 37-53.

• Singer PA. Motivating Action. Why Should Canadian Physicians Participate in Research, Education or Patient Care in the Developing World? Canadian Family Physician. 2007, pp. 1849-1851 (Eng).

• Thorsteinsdottir H, Daar AS, Singer PA. Innovation Cultures in Developing Countries: The Case of Health Biotechnology. Comparative Technology Transfer and Society, August 2007, vol. 5, number 2, pp. 178-201.

• Singer PA, Berndtson K, Tracy SC, Cohen ERM, Masum H, Daar AS, Lavery JV. A tough transition. Nature, September 2007, vol. 449, pp. 160-163.

• Singer PA, Taylor AD, Daar AS, Upshur REG, Singh JA, Lavery, JV. Grand Challenges in Global Health: The Ethical, Social and Cultural Program. PLOS Medicine, September 2007, vol. 4, no. 9, pp. 265.

• Daar AS, Singer PA, Persad DL, Pramming SK, Matthews DR, Beaglehole R, Bernstein A, Borysiewicz LK, Colagiuri S, Ganguly N, Glass RI, Finegood DT, Koplan J, Nabel EG, Sarna G, Sarrafzadegan N, Smith R, Yach D and Bell J. Grand challenges in chronic non-communicable diseases. Nature, 22 November 2007, vol. 450, pp. 494-496.

McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health