Welcome message from new III Scientific Director: Dr. Charu Kaushic

As many of you may have already heard, III is moving to McMaster University on July 1, 2018. I am honored and humbled to be appointed as the next Scientific Director of III. It will be my privilege to serve the Infection and Immunity research community, which has supported me in my career for past 15 years.

I would like to start by thanking Dr. Marc Ouellette for his leadership and vision over past 8.5 years. He has guided the Institute through some difficult times in past few years and managed to maintain a remarkable balance between supporting ongoing programs and pushing forward with new initiatives. Under his leadership, III has become a leader in global initiatives on emerging threats such as antimicrobial resistance and strengthened research efforts in areas such as transplantation, chronic inflammatory diseases and HIV/AIDS. In light of the increased funding announcements for CIHR in this year’s budget, I hope we have turned the corner and that during my mandate we can focus on growing our strategic initiatives and strengthening our research capacity.

Marc and I have been working hard to ensure a smooth transition of the Institute and I hope to hit the ground running on July 1st. My first priority will be to ensure stability, continuity and expansion in the strategic directions that the institute has been working on, and to enhance our efforts to support new investigators in order to build the next generation of Canadian leaders in Infection and Immunity.

As we move towards outlining a new Strategic Plan in 2019, with the help and advice of the newly reinstated Institute Advisory Board, we will be undertaking community consultations to listen to your feedback on what you would like to see in III’s new strategic plan. We will also be developing and updating our communication plan so we can be in close contact with the III community on an ongoing basis. In the meanwhile, please reach out to me with your comments and concerns.

On a personal note, as a woman scientist, I have experienced the trials and tribulations of building a research program in a very competitive field of biomedical science, while raising a family. So, it is my personal mandate to encourage and serve as a role model for young women who are in graduate school or just starting out as independent researchers to build their career in research and seek out leadership opportunities.

I look forward to working with all of you over next few months and years. I am trusting that I can count on your support to keep our III community growing and thriving, so we can continue to play a leadership role in Canadian health science research.

Charu Kaushic

Date modified: