New leadership in health sciences research at McGill

Montreal, QC – McGill University has announced three strategic leadership appointments in its Faculty of Medicine.

Dr Rémi Quirion, scientific director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Neurosciences , Mental Health and Addiction, as well as of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute Research Centre, is appointed to the newly created position of vice-dean for science and strategic initiatives and senior university advisor on health sciences research at McGill. Supporting Dr Quirion are Dr Marianna Newkirk, the Faculty of Medicine’s new associate dean of research, and Dr Elaine Davis, in the newly created position of assistant dean of graduate studies.

Also a full professor in McGill’s department of psychiatry, Dr Quirion is renowned as a distinguished, innovative neuroscientist, educator and science administrator. One of the most highly cited neuroscientists in the world, he is an international expert in his field, including in aging and Alzheimer’s disease as well as central nervous system function. Dr Quirion’s appointment begins April 2009.

Dr Newkirk has been a member of the Faculty of Medicine for more than 20 years, focusing her work on autoimmunity in relation to rheumatic disease. Currently associate professor in McGill’s Department of Medicine, she is also co-founder and elected president of Immunology Montreal.

Dr Davis is a tenured associate professor in McGill’s department of anatomy and cell biology, and a Canada research chair. Prior to joining McGill in 2002, Dr Davis was an assistant professor in the department of cell biology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.