Profile: C.O.R.E Award Recipient Roger Raymond

“It’s about time you were recognized.”  This is what one colleague said when Lab Coordinator Roger Raymond received an inaugural CAMH Outstanding Research Employee (C.O.R.E) Award.  Roger’s co-workers in the neuroimaging section of the Neuroscience Department have always acknowledged his energy and impeccable work ethic, but this time the entire Research Department learned just what an asset Roger is.

In the lab, it is Roger’s responsibility to make sure things run smoothly.  “I order supplies, fix equipment, trouble shoot, and train new students in the ways of the lab”, he said.   Roger also does all of the background work on new experiments.  “This is the part of my job I enjoy most, tackling new experiments.”

During his 15 years at CAMH, Roger has always done that extra bit of reading or investigating to make sure a new experiment is set up right the first time.  And this work has been a tremendous benefit to the lab.  He owes a lot of gratitude to many other Researchers who allow him to access equipment and resources, and to other technicians who share their expertise with him.

For example, Roger helped develop In Situ Hybridization, a technique used to monitor messenger RNA in the brain and subsequently detect changes in proteins.  This kind of research provides information on how mental illness and addition functions at the cellular level, and is currently used routinely in his lab. 

For Roger, good enough is not an option.  He likes the sense of accomplishment of a job done well.  “Bottom line, I hate to lose so I’ll keep working until the task is done and done right.”  When asked if he thought this was the reason he received a 2006 C.O.R.E Award, Roger shyly smiled and said, “I think so.  And I was very happy to be recognized and I felt proud of my accomplishments.”

He may have started working at CAMH by chance, but it is no secret that it is hard work and determination that makes him irreplaceable in the Neuroimaging lab.  It is this daily commitment to excellence that earned Roger the formal recognition of his peers when he was presented with a 2006
C.O.R.E Award.

Congratulations Roger, and thank you.

 

 

 

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