Dr. Maryam Tabrizian began her career at McGill in 2000 as an Assistant Professor, in a cross-appointment between Dentistry and Medicine, in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. “I was given a lab, which only consisted of four walls,” she recalls with a smile. “I had to furnish it and recruit talented students and staff.” That’s exactly what she did: little by little, she secured her research with successful grant applications. By 2011, she had earned a position as Full Professor. “Like most of my colleagues, my responsibilities include the supervision of my students, grant-writing, teaching, research dissemination and helping scholar communities by sitting on institutional, local, national and international peer review panels and advisory boards,” she explains. Dr. Tabrizian’s appointment to the position of Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies comes with challenges she is looking forward to tackle. “It was time for me to share my vision and expertise,” she points out. “My goal is to bridge the gap between our clinicians and researchers by promoting their interaction.” By creating a common goal and working under the same umbrella, Dr. Tabrizian believes she will successfully create a win-win situation. She is quite aware of the Faculty of Dentistry’s history of excellence, and the changes it has undergone in recent years. “Now, the bar is very high,” she tells me. She acknowledges the great work of her predecessor, Dr. Mark McKee and looks ahead: “To continue on this mounting slope, my goal is to set realistic expectations of what we want to achieve to further promote not only the cutting edge research and training done in our Faculty, but also our Faculty as a whole.” Dr. Tabrizian remains very realistic about the challenges she faces and knows she relies on the support and involvement of her peers: “I see myself as a mentor and assistant for my colleagues and my aim is to help them achieve their objectives. I will be very open to their expertise and advice.” While she has a specific vision for her mandate, she remains flexible about the path to its achievement. “As we take each step, the next step will become clear as long as we stay focused on our vision. My plan is to meet with my colleagues, get them involved in this process and gain their insight.” When asked if there’s anything else she’d like people in our Faculty to know about her, she tells me about her insatiable curiosity: “I enjoy learning about innovations in any field by looking up key words on Google. It could be a robot for cleaning windows, a new pacemaker or a new polymer resistant to Canadian winters used in flower pots.” On a more personal note, she also tells me about her love for her family’s Saturday evenings: “Very often, we decline invitations, even our children, to be able to spend this time together, and with our other close family members and friends.” Her positive attitude radiates into her family life. “Believe in yourself,” she tells her children. “You are good. Make it happen.”