Our People

John is a senior scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children and a professor in the department of molecular genetics and Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto. He is also program head of the cell biology program and a co-director of the SickKids Inflammatory Bowel Disease Centre. In 2014, Brumell was awarded the Pitblado Chair in Cell Biology. His research examines host-pathogen interactions and how defects in these interactions can impact the development of chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and arthritis.

Jen is a professor in department of immunology at the University of Toronto. She holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Tissue Specific Immunity. Gommerman’s basic research continues to focus on how members of the TNF superfamily of molecules regulate immunity and autoimmunity. Her team has uncovered a novel gut-brain axis that regulates neuroinflammation. Gommerman has been examining the role of B lymphocytes in multiple sclerosis. More recently she has been studying the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with COVID-19.

David Guttman is a professor in the department of cell & systems biology at the University of Toronto and director of the Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution & Function. His research explores how pathogens evolve and adapt to their hosts, and how genetic diversity shapes host-microbe interactions. His multidisciplinary research integrates genomics, evolutionary biology and microbiology to study pathogen diversity, virulence and host immunity. Guttman’s work has advanced understanding of pathogen-host specificity and the evolutionary processes that influence infectious disease. 

Derrik Leach is a member of the University of Toronto’s Institutional Strategic Initiatives team, where he has supported the development and growth of large-scale, interdisciplinary research initiatives, including EPIC. His background spans strategic partnerships, business development, technology and innovation, with experience connecting academic researchers and industry partners. Leach has contributed to several of U of T’s Institutional Strategic Initiatives and special projects, bringing expertise in partnership development, cross-sector collaboration and advancing research initiatives with the potential for broad societal impact.

John is a professor of surgery and critical care medicine at the University of Toronto, and a senior scientist in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of Unity Health Toronto. He is the rounding and current Chair of the International Forum for Acute Care Trialists, past-Chair of the International Sepsis Forum and the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group, former Secretary-General of the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care, and past-President of the Surgical Infection Society. He is the Canadian principal investigator for the REMAP-CAP trial, and co-chairs the R&D Roadmap Committee of the Clinical Characterization and Management of COVID-19 of the World Health Organization. He is an associate editor of the journal Critical Care and a senior editor of Critical Care Medicine.

Nicole is an associate professor and associate chair (undergraduate) in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB) at the University of Toronto. Nicole’s research group focuses on the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases through a combination of theoretical and empirical approaches. She is interested in understanding the factors that regulate patterns of infection within and between hosts, and how these factors interact to shape disease evolution. The research areas that are currently being explored in her work include: host-parasite interactions, how interactions differ between related parasites with different genotypes, the selective forces which influence pathogen evolution in different environments.

Samira is currently a virologist, medical microbiologist and infectious disease physician at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and an associate professor in the department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology at the University of Toronto. Mubareka has been working on SARS-CoV-2 since the outset of the pandemic with a focus on virus biology, bioaerosols, genomics and wildlife surveillance. She is currently focused on understanding the biology and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and on coronavirus and influenza virus zoonotic spillover.

Beate is an internationally recognized leader in infectious disease economics with extensive expertise in health economics and simulation modeling. She is a senior scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute. Sander also holds the Canada Research Chair in Economics of Infectious Diseases. She is developing novel approaches to evaluate intersectoral interventions and pioneered research on the burden of infectious diseases in Canada using linked population-based data.

PhD student, department of molecular genetics, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

PhD student, Department of Molecular Genetics, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

PhD student, Department of Molecular Genetics, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

PhD student, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

MSc student, Department of Biochemistry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

PhD student, Department of Molecular Genetics, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

MSc student, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

MHSc, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

PhD student, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

PhD student, Department of Molecular Genetics, Temerty Faculty of Medicine