For immediate release -2009-39
Ottawa (November 12, 2009) -Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the CIHR Governing Council are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Marc Ouellette as Scientific Director of CIHR's Institute of Infection and Immunity (III). This appointment takes effect on January 1, 2010, when Dr. Ouellette will replace Dr. Bhagirath Singh, III's founding Scientific Director.
"Dr. Ouellette is a welcome addition to the CIHR leadership team," said Dr. Beaudet. "His many achievements in research on infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance, as well as his proven leadership, make him the ideal candidate to take CIHR's Institute of Infection and Immunity forward in the years to come."
Dr. Ouellette is currently a Full Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Université Laval and a researcher at the Infectious Disease Research Centre of the Centre hospitalier de l'Université Laval (CHUL) in Quebec City. He holds a Canada Research Chair in Antimicrobial Resistance.
"CIHR has done me a tremendous honour by choosing me as the new Scientific Director of III," says Dr. Ouellette. "It represents a great challenge, but I am highly motivated by the idea of contributing to the development of research on infectious and immune diseases in Canada."
Dr. Beaudet also thanked Dr. Bhagirath Singh for his leadership and vision. "Dr. Singh has carved out an enviable reputation through his dedication to and enthusiasm for health research; his inclusive, collegial approach; and his passion for his work. He has breathed new energy into the Canadian community of researchers investigating infectious and immune diseases, which are attracting more and more attention in Canada and around the world."
III supports research in the areas of infectious disease and the body's immune system. Through the Institute's programs, researchers address a wide range of health concerns related to infection and immunity.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health-care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to nearly 13,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
Université Laval. Ranked 7th among Canada's top research universities, Université Laval has over 1 500 professors whose renown goes beyond borders. Health research at Laval is producing scientific breakthroughs and social innovations that are fundamental for the advancement of knowledge and society.
The CHUQ Research Centre is one of the largest hospital-based research centres in Canada, with some 260 researchers and 725 students. These research teams are divided into eight groups operating at the CHUQ's three hospital sites. Thanks to the excellence of its research teams and its ultramodern facilities, the CHUQ Research Centre enjoys an enviable reputation both nationally and internationally. The CHUQ Research Centre's annual budget averages $70 million.
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For further information:
David Coulombe
CIHR Media Relations
Telephone: 613-941-4563
Cell: 613-808-7526
E-mail: mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
Hélène Mélançon
Communications Branch
Université Laval
Telephone: 418-656-2131 Extension 7296
E-mail: Helene.melancon@dc.ulaval.ca
Pascale St-Pierre
Communications Branch
Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec
Telephone: 418-525-4387
Dr. Ouellette is currently a Full Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Laval University and a researcher at the Infectious Disease Research Centre of the Laval University Hospital Centre (CHUL). He holds a Canada Research Chair in Antimicrobial Resistance and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Scholar Award in Molecular Parasitology. He earned his doctorate at Laval University and did his postdoctoral work at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam. Dr. Ouellette studies antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in bacteria and in parasites. He devotes much of his research to the parasite Leishmania, which is transmitted to humans by the bite of certain insect species that are present in tropical regions. Leishmania is responsible for leishmaniasis, which causes disorders of the skin and internal organs.
The author or co-author of nearly 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles, Dr. Ouellette has published in prestigious journals such as Nature, EMBO, the New England Journal of Medicine, and PloS. He has also presented over 120 guest lectures and written numerous book chapters.
Dr. Ouellette is very familiar with CIHR, having served as a member of the Institute of Infection and Immunity Advisory Board and as vice-chair of this board for one year. He has also served on several CIHR committees.
