Press release

August, 25 1999 Université de Montréal invites you to pedal to fight the brain drain

The Faculty of Medicine at Université de Montréal and its teaching hospitals invite cycling enthusiasts to the 2nd edition of the Rallye cycliste Relève médecine 2000 to be held on Sunday, September 12. The proceeds will go toward funding 20 young researchers in the health sciences. Once again this year, participants may choose between 2 courses. The Sylvie Daigle Course (23 km), named for the Honorary President, who is a resident in family medicine and a gold medalist in speedskating at the Olympics, runs from the Montréal Geriatric Institute, to Sacré-Cœur Hospital and Ste-Justine Hospital (CHU-Mère Enfant). The Angela-Cutrone course (27 km), named after a former UofM student and winner of an Olympic gold medal in speedskating, connects the three CHUM hospitals (Hôtel-Dieu, Saint-Luc, Notre-Dame), Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital and the Montréal Cardiology Institute. Cyclists may register in advance by calling (514) 343 -6392, or on site in front of the Université de Montréal metro station (2900, boul. Édouard-Montpetit) beginning at 8 a.m. on September 12. The start time is 9 a.m., rain or shine. The registration fee is $12 for adults and $8 for students, and parking is free. "This rally will mobilize the entire health sciences group at Université de Montréal and encourage the hospitals, research institutes, the university community and general public to work more closely together," noted Dr. Patrick Vinay, dean of the Faculty of Medicine. "Positions available for young researchers in university research centres and hospitals are increasingly scarce. This means we are loosing the younger researchers who have been trained by the best scientists in Quebec, as well as the experience gained by these researchers, which only benefits other countries, since Quebec finds it difficult to keep us here after our training. So we are involved in this project in order to improve our job prospects and help maintain a high level of excellence in research here in Quebec," added Joël Monzée, President of the Association des étudiant(e)s aux grades supérieurs de la Faculté de médecine de l'Université de Montréal (AEGSFM). A number of Quebec athletes who are concerned about the brain drain will be riding in this rally. Door prizes, an outdoor lunch and two shows will help create a festive atmosphere when the cyclists arrive. Scheduled to perform are the comedy duo "Les InContournables" and the Quebecois hip-hop group "LMDS." -30- Web: http://www.med.umontreal.ca/2000ral.htm

Information Marie-Claude Chalvignac Université de Montréal Direction des communications Tel.: (514) 343-7704 Pager: (514) 423-0651