Fourteen Temerty Medicine Scientists Awarded Canada Research Chairs

Fourteen Temerty Medicine Scientists Receive Canada Research Chairs

Researchers in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine have received 14 new or renewed Canada Research Chairs, which will provide funding support across many fields including inflammatory rheumatic diseases, medical biophysics and physical therapy.

A total of 33 researchers at the University of Toronto received Chairs in this latest round of funding through the CRC Program, which invests up to $295 million annually to recruit and retain scientists in Canada.

Also today, Professor Shaf Keshavjee of the department of surgery and University Health Network received $24 million through the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund Transformation competition, for research on ex vivo strategies to repair and rebuild organs.

And at the same time, Professor Ji Young Youn received over $700,000 for laboratory and equipment funding from the John R. Evans Leaders Fund, through the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Youn is an assistant professor in the department of molecular genetics at Temerty Medicine and a scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children.

“I want to extend my congratulations to all the U of T researchers who were selected as a new chair or had their chair renewed — as well those who received funding from the John R. Evans Leaders Fund and the New Frontiers in Research Fund,” said Leah Cowen, vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives at U of T.

“The federal government’s ongoing support of important work through the Canada Research Chairs and other programs plays a key role in allowing our researchers to advance knowledge and foster innovation across a wide variety of fields,” Cowen said.

Here are the new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at Temerty Medicine:

New Canada Research Chairs

Benjamin Blencowe of the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomedical Research, tier one in RNA biology and genomics.

Lihi Eder of the department of medicine and Women’s College Hospital, tier two in inflammatory rheumatic diseases.

Thomas Kislinger of the department of medical biophysics and University Health Network, tier one in cancer precision medicine.

Sonya MacParland of the department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology and University Health Network, tier two in liver immunobiology.

Kristin Musselman of the department of physical therapy, tier two in multi-morbidity and complex rehabilitation.

Chao Wang of the department of immunology and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, tier two in immunometabolism in neuroinflammation.

Tania Watts of the department of immunology, tier one in anti-viral immunity.

Renewed Canada Research Chairs

Ana Andreazza of the department of pharmacology and toxicology, tier two in molecular pharmacology and mood disorders.

Daniel De Carvalho of the department of medical biophysics and University Health Network, tier two in cancer epigenetics and epigenetic therapy.

Warren Lee of the department of medicine and Unity Health Toronto, tier two in mechanisms of endothelial permeability.

Jeffrey Meyer of the department of psychiatry and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, tier one in the neurochemistry of major depressive disorder.

John Rubinstein of the department of biochemistry and The Hospital for Sick Children, tier one in electron cryomicroscopy.

Mikko Taipale of the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomedical Research, tier two in functional proteomics and proteostasis.

See the U of T News story for a full list of U of T’s Canada Research Chair Program recipients. View the Donnelly Centre story for more detail on the funding for Professors Blencowe and Taipale.