I don’t think the average Canadian realizes just what kind of scientific talent we are fortunate enough to have in this country.
Thanks to my job, I regularly get a chance to learn about some of the researchers and scientists who are doing world-class work right here in Canada.
A recent piece I wrote for a special Globe and Mail supplement celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Canadian Foundation for Innovation is a good example.
The story is about project based at McMaster University called Canada’s Global Nexus for Pandemics and Biological Events, which is aimed at not just spearheading the fight against COVID, but also preparing for inevitable future pandemics.
While researching the story, I learned about McMaster’s amazing Institute for Infectious Disease Research, which is headed by one of the world’s leading experts in the field of antibiotic resistance. I also learned that discoveries made by a McMaster scientist decades ago played a pivotal role in developing both the Johnson and Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines for COVID-19.
You can find out more by reading the story: ‘How to Fight a Pandemic’.
My heartfelt thanks to the interviewees who so kindly shared their time and expertise:
- Dr. Karen Mossman, a virologist and vice-president of research at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont.
- Dr. Gerry Wright, infectious disease expert, lead of Canada’s Global Nexus for Pandemics and Biological Threats, and professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University.