Dr. Marc-Christian Domingo
Proactively Applying Funding to Combat Serious Health Threats

Bacterial resistance is a major problem. Dr. Marc-Christian Domingo, MD, MSc is the recipient of the 2004 Bayer/CIHR/AMMI Canada/FCMI Awards and will be using the Awards to pursue his PhD studies on the characterization of specific resistant genes found in human bacterial intestinal flora.

Dr. Domingo’s research project was born following the observation of a hospital surveillance program of patients carrying vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) with a high frequency of certain genes. Observations made during the program confirmed that resistance to vancomycin is not always associated with VRE in humans. Using gathered stool specimens from the program, Dr. Domingo described a new Clostridium species that was resistant to the antibiotic vancomycin and harbouring specific genes. The results of the initial study suggest that human intestinal flora may serve as a reservoir for resistant genes. Because the origin of the vancomycin resistant genes in enterococci is still unknown, it is important to investigate the role of the human bacterial intestinal flora in the dissemination of these resistant genes. The results of this exciting project are expected to provide important information to fight the increasing emergence of specific resistant pathogens causing infectious diseases.

Dr. Domingo graduated with honours in 1994 at Faculté des Sciences de la Santé (Cotonou, Benin). He received his MSc in Biomedical Sciences at Institut of Tropical Medicine (Antwerp, Belgium) in 1997. He was trained in Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology from 1998 to 2001 at Hôpital Bichat Claude Bernard, at the Institut Pasteur and at the Laboratoire de Recherche Moléculaire sur les Antibiotiques (Paris, France). Dr. Domingo is currently doing his PhD in Microbiology-Immunology at the Infectious Diseases Research Center of Laval University.

Dr. Marcel Behr
Doing great work with Foundation dollars

Dr. Marcel Behr a two time award recipient of the AMMI Canada’s Grants and Awards. First with the Bayer Young Investigator Award and then again while working with Dr. Makeda Semret, who won the 2003 Bayer Healthcare/CIHR/CIDS Infectious Disease Fellowship.

“(Winning the Young Investigator Award) gave me a start and another award provided funding for one of my post-docs, Makeda Semret,” Dr. Behr explains. “The funding for Dr. Semret was an important stepping stone, allowing her time in the lab and necessary experience to compete successfully for post-doctoral funding.”

Dr. Behr is now giving back to the organization that helped him get his career started. During 2001 – 2003, he sat on the CIDS (now AMMI Canada) Grants and Awards and CIHR Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Committees. Dr. Behr doesn’t plan on taking his new position as Chair of AMMI Canada’s Grants and Awards Committee lightly. He sees funding from CFID as contributing to the future of other young investigators. “This is a very important program to provide the start for trainees and junior faculty with seed money to get going,” he says. “I think the goal of this program is to get people interested in research.”

Dr. Behr trained in Internal Medicine from 1990 to 1993, then Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology until 1996. He received his MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McGill in 1995. His Post-doctoral training consisted of TB molecular epidemiology and TB genomics at Stanford 1996-1998. This led to a position with McGill University Health Centre’s Division of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology where he’s worked since 1998.

Dr. Deepali Kumar
Foundation support provides important stepping stone

Dr. Deepali Kumar, MD MSc FRCPC received the 2001 GlaxoSmithKline/CIHR/CIDS Infectious Disease Fellowship as well as the first Juan A. Embil Award for Research in Infectious Diseases from CIDS (now AMMI Canada) in 2002.

“Receiving the fellowship allowed me to pursue an exciting career in research and learn solid research principles,” says Dr. Kumar who sees the awards as essential for those wanting to pursue an academic career. “There are few opportunities for those who want to continue their studies after fellowship and the Foundation award provides an important stepping stone.”

Dr. Kumar is a member of the immunocompromised host infectious disease service at the University Health Network in Toronto and has expertise in infections related to cancer, bone marrow transplants and solid organ transplants. Her research interests include vaccinations and emerging infections in immunocompromised patients.

Trained in internal medicine at the University of Ottawa from 1996-1999, Dr. Kumar then did her infectious disease training at the University of California-San Diego from 1999-2000 and McMaster University from 2000-2001. She then undertook further training in clinical and research aspects of the immunocompromised host till 2004 and completed a Masters degree in Medical Science. This led to a position with the University of Toronto’s division of infectious diseases which she currently holds.


© 2008 CFID.