Leading innovation: Arthur Mortha

In the most recent U.S. News & World Report – Best Global Universities Rankings, the University of Toronto ranked 16^th in the world, tied with Cornell, Princeton and the University of California San Francisco.  

U of T is ranked as the top immunology school in Canada, and 23^rd in the world, on par with Duke University.

Arthur Mortha is an associate professor of immunology and the Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in mucosal immunology. His lab investigates the interplay between the immune system and micro-organisms that live on the body’s barrier surfaces and generally don’t cause any harm. Using pre-clinical disease models and patient samples, Mortha strives to understand how the microbes in our intestines help protect against or exacerbate infections or chronic inflammatory diseases.

Through this work, Mortha and his team hope to better understand the microbiota’s role in contributing to disease in some people while being benign in others.

Mortha shares his thoughts on what mentorship contributes to the culture of excellence at U of T and why it makes Temety Medicine an ideal place for collaborative science.

What makes Temerty Medicine a great place for you do this work?

There are so many bright minds and exceptional trainees here, and this pool grows even bigger when combined with Temerty Medicine’s affiliated hospitals and research institutes. The proximity of these institutions creates an amazing network of expertise, knowledge and infrastructure that facilitates the kind of research that will help solve some of medicines most fundamental problems. U of T’s strong international reputation makes collaborations across the nation and internationally particularly attractive.

How has mentorship helped you get to where you are?

Mentorship is essential to science and research. Collaborating with diverse groups of scientists on multiple projects provides great learning opportunities and helps people explore beyond their own comfort zone, which requires curiosity and courage to overcome the fear of failure. I was encouraged to take these steps whenever possible and to embrace the idea that I would be more successful on some days and less successful on others, is one of the most important lessons I learned from my previous mentors.

How are you mentoring or supporting the next generation?

Our laboratory hosts and trains students and scientist at all levels, from early undergraduate students to senior postdocs. Each level requires distinct mentoring approaches. For example,  some learners may need experiences tailored to foster the fundamental process of scientific thinking (formulate a hypothesis and test it), while others benefit from approaches centered on advancing research that challenges dogmas and formulates new scientific concepts.

The department of immunology also offers mentoring programs that engage high school students through IMMspire, which offers interested students from across the city the chance to experience and learn about research on the immune system. While these activities are fantastic to engage the youngest scientists, our department also offers international mentoring and educational programs. Here, immunology graduate students collaborate and discuss new research articles with immunology students from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, the Icahn School of Medicine and the MD Anderson Cancer Center in the United States to spearhead interinstitutional preprint reviewing through the Preprint Club.

What’s the most fulfilling part of your role at U of T?

As professor at the U of T, I’m privileged to work with world-class students and scientists. Tackling fundamental scientific problems, serving the university’s research landscape by leading one of their research core facilities, and acting chair of Temerty Medicine’s Research Committee are highly rewarding roles that foster my own education on every single day. In essence, my learning never stops.