12th Outreach Gala of the Université de Sherbrooke

Dr. Francine Décary is named Ambassador 2006

Montréal, November 24, 2006 – On November 17, Dr. Francine Décary, Héma-Québec's Chief Executive Officer, received the title of honour of Ambassador 2006 at the 12th Outreach Gala of the Université de Sherbrooke. Close to 350 guests took part in this event, where 13 people, including 11 graduates from that university, were honoured.

Dr. Francine Décary, Héma-Québec’s Chief Executive Officer, with Mr. Roger Noël, Dean of the Faculty of Management of Université de Sherbrooke. Photo: Martin Blache.

Organized by the Réseau de l’Université de Sherbrooke on the theme Inspirations, the gala aimed at highlighting the outstanding quality of the laureates, who contributed through their achievements in their own professional sector or social environment, and their commitment to the advancement of society, to the outreach and development of their alma mater.

Dr. Francine Décary, a trained hematologist and research scientist, did at Université de Sherbrooke a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) for managers in office in 1996. She created Héma-Québec in 1998, an organization she has been heading since. With her team, Dr. Décary managed to rank Héma-Québec among the most reliable and safest blood banks in the world. Her managing skills were praised on several occasions, among others the presentation of the 2005 Armand-Frappier award for the development of research institutions, the management or promotion of research.

Created in 1998, Héma-Québec's mission is to efficiently provide adequate quantities of safe, optimal blood components, substitutes, human tissues and cord blood to meet the needs of all Quebecers; provide and develop expertise along with specialized and innovative services and products in the fields of transfusion medicine and human tissue transplantation. Héma-Québec is 1,300 employees, some 3,000 days of blood drives and more than 300,000 blood donors each year, 16,000 volunteer partners and 400,000 blood products delivered each year to Québec hospitals to meet patients' needs.

Give blood. Give life.

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