Here are short biographies for the 2010 Mini-Pharma lecturers:
Professor Timothy Geary
Drug Development: Where We Are and How We Got Here
April 12, 2010
Timothy Geary earned a BSc in biology from the University of Notre Dame in 1975, then a PhD in pharmacology from the University of Michigan in 1980. He then spent 5 years on the faculty of Michigan State University in the Department of Microbiology and Public Health working on chemotherapy of malaria in the lab and in the field. Dr. Geary joined The Upjohn Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1985 to lead a team in antiparasitic drug discovery. He rose to a senior leadership position in this area. Following the acquisition of the company by Pfizer, Tim joined the Institute of Parasitology at McGill in 2005 as a Tier I Canada Research Chair. He became Director of the Institute in 2008. Tim maintains an active collaborative research program on proteomic analysis of the host-parasite interface, focused on a disease called elephantiasis (lymphatic filariasis) in humans. He is developing a program in African-centered antiparasitic drug discovery and is involved in efforts to repurpose old drugs for use in neglected tropical diseases. Dr. Geary is a consultant for several pharmaceutical companies, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Tropical Diseases Research (TDR) arm of the World Health Organization, for which he serves on the Expert Drug Advisory Committee. Tim has published approximately 150 scholarly articles in his areas of expertise and is a frequent plenary lecturer at international conferences.
Professor Vassilios Papadopoulos
Personal Health Management: All for One, Not One for All
April 19, 2010
Dr Papadopoulos is a native of Greece where he graduated with a Diploma of Pharmacy in 1982 from the University of Athens. In 1986 he completed his PhD in Health and Life Science at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie and continued as a post-doctoral researcher in France and Australia. In 1988 he was appointed to Georgetown University (Washington DC, USA) as an assistant professor where he quickly raised through the ranks to the level of Professor and in 2003, he was elected Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC). In 2004, he was appointed Associate Vice President for Research and in 2005 he was appointed Director of the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization at GUMC. Dr Papadopoulos is presently the Director of The Research Institute of the MUHC, as well as Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University, and Associate Executive Director for Research at the MUHC. In 2007 he was awarded a Canada Research Chair in Biochemical Pharmacology.
Dr Papadopoulos has studied a remarkable range of pathologies including: endocrine pathologies, male fertility diseases, neuropathologies, aging-related disorders and cancer. Dr Papadopoulos' research focus is in the pathophysiology and treatment of diseases related to altered steroid hormone synthesis. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and holds numerous patents. He is the recipient of numerous awards, an elected member of both the National Academies of Pharmacy and Medicine in France and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in the USA. Dr. Papadopoulos continues to supervise graduate and postgraduate students, serves on review committees of various US, Canadian and European government agencies, foundations and corporations and is on the Editorial Board of several scientific journals. He has served on the Board of Directors and Advisory Boards of biotechnology companies and is a regular consultant for the pharmaceutical industry.
As an administrator, Dr Papadopoulos has worked on restructuring and reorganizing research within University Hospital environments while taking advantage of emerging opportunities to successfully initiate new large scale infrastructure and research projects. Today, Dr Papadopoulos leads such an initiative entitled "Translational Research and Intervention across the Lifespan", to build a new state of the art facility coupled with integrated research themes to house fundamental, clinical and evaluative research at The Research Institute of the MUHC within the new MUHC hospital site.
Professor Jeffrey Mogil
The Genetics of Analgesia: Will We Have Customized Pain-Killers?
April 26, 2010
Jeffrey S. Mogil was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1966. He received a B.Sc. (Honours) in Psychology from the University of Toronto in 1988, and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UCLA in 1993. After a postdoctoral fellowship in Portland, OR from 1993 to 1996, he joined the faculty of the Dept. of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He moved to McGill University in 2001, and is currently the E.P. Taylor Professor of Pain Studies (a Chair previously occupied by Dr. Ronald Melzack) and the Canada Research Chair in the Genetics of Pain (Tier I).
Dr. Mogil has made seminal contributions to the field of pain genetics and is the author of most major reviews of the subject, including an edited book, The Genetics of Pain (IASP Press, 2004). He is also a recognized authority in the fields of sex differences in pain and analgesia, and pain testing methods in the laboratory mouse. Dr. Mogil is the author of over 150 journal articles and book chapters since 1992, and has given over 190 invited lectures in that same period. He holds or has held funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Genome Canada, Neuroscience Canada and the pharmaceutical/biotech industry. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Neal E. Miller New Investigator Award from the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research (1998), the John C. Liebeskind Early Career Scholar Award from the American Pain Society (1998), the Patrick D. Wall Young Investigator Award from the International Association for the Study of Pain (2002), the Early Career Award from the Canadian Pain Society (2004) and a Neuropathic Pain Award from Pfizer Canada (2010). He currently serves as a Section Editor (Neurobiology) at the journal, Pain, and is the chair of the Scientific Program Committee of the upcoming 13th World Congress on Pain.
Professor Paul Clarke
Cigarette Smoking: The Uncertain Role of Nicotine
May 3, 2010
Dr. Paul Clarke received an MA in Experimental Psychology from Cambridge University and a PhD in Behavioural Neuroscience from the University of London's Institute of Psychiatry. He carried out postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Mental Health (USA), and at UBC (Neurological Sciences). He is currently Professor in the Dept of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University, and a member of Concordia University's Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology
Dr. Clarke's main research interest is in brain mechanisms underlying drug (especially nicotine) dependence. Dr. Clarke contributed to the ground-breaking 1988 U.S. Surgeon General's Report which declared that nicotine addiction is a consequence of cigarette smoking. He has also contributed to smoking-related reports of the Royal Society of Canada and Royal College of Physicians (UK).
Professor Dusica Maysinger
The Future of Medicine: Thinking Small
May 10, 2010
Dusica Maysinger was trained at the University of Southern California, USA where she obtained her M.Sc in 1973 and PhD in 1976. Dr. Maysinger was appointed assistant professor at McGill University in 1987, and is presently a full professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill. Her PhD thesis dealt with the development of radiolabeled steroids and structural analogs for diagnostic purposes and drug design, based on structure-function relationships. These studies steered her towards the exciting field of degenerative changes in the nervous system, which was the focus of her study as an Alexander von Humoldt fellow at the Max Planck Institute in Munchen and at the University Of Heidelberg, Germany. Subsequently, as a member of Dr. Claudio Cuello's team at Oxford University in the UK, she came to McGill University as a postdoctoral fellow where she continued to research molecular mechanisms underlying degenerative changes in the nervous system. One aspect of this work included oxidative stress-induced neurodegenerative changes in the central and peripheral nervous system, and the development of nanoparticles for cellular imaging and therapeutic interventions. Today her research team includes numerous scientific collaborators. Currently, her lab is focused on investigating the mechanisms underlying cell death, neurodegeneration, and regenerative growth of the central and peripheral nervous system. The use of nanoparticles as imaging tools, biosensors and drug delivery systems for therapeutic purposes continues to be an essential aspect of her research. Her laboratory uses quantum dots and other fluorescent nanoparticles to examine their effects on different types of cells relevant for regeneration and cell/tissue repair. She also explores the morphological and biochemical changes of organelles affected by nanoparticles. Her lab uses multiphoton imaging of living cells to reveal the status of mitochondria, lysosomes and lipid droplets. Functional and morphological properties of these organelles are changed in the nervous systems affected by diabetes and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Dusica has published more than 140 scientific articles and has been a recipient of many fellowships and awards including Fulbright's fellowship, FRSQ Bourse de Perfectionnement and Alexander von Humboldt, McGill University award for excellence in medical teaching.
Professor Bernard Robaire
Are Chemicals in Our Environment Affecting Reproductive Health?
May 17, 2010
Bernard Robaire received his B.A. in Bacteriology (Honours) from UCLA and Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Therapeutics from McGill University. After doing a Postdoctoral Fellowship (NIH) at Johns Hopkins University, he returned to McGill to take up a joint appointment in the Departments of Pharmacology & Therapeutics and of Obstetrics & Gynaecology where he has remained and is currently a James McGill Professor. He has served for a five-year period as Associate Vice-Principal (Research) of McGill University. Some of his other service to his University includes being a member of Senate (1982-85, 2002-11), Chair of the Scholarly Awards Committee (1993-98), and representative of McGill University on a number of scientific and executive boards. Bernard has been actively involved in teaching; he gives courses to undergraduate, graduate, and medical students; he has developed an undergraduate course in toxicology and been instrumental in establishing a majors program in Pharmacology at McGill University, one of the few in North America. He has supervised a large number of graduate students who have gone on to have distinguished careers in research.
His research interests focus on the structure, function and regulation of the epididymis, androgen action, male mediated reproductive toxicology, effects of environmental toxicants on male reproduction, and aging of the male reproductive system. This research activity has resulted in over 200 journal articles and book chapters, and editing/co-editing ten books. Dr. Robaire has been awarded several honours during his career. Some of these include an NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship, a Scholarship from the Medical Research Council of Canada (a salary award), the Wyeth Award of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (1977, 1982, 1990), Distinguished Service Certificates from the National Academy of Sciences, U.S. (1989) and the International Society of Andrology (1997), and the Distinguished Service Award from the American Society of Andrology (2000) and Distinguished Andrologia for 2008. In 1997, he received the Award for Excellence in Reproduction from the Canadian Fertility & Andrology Society and in 2006 the Distinguished Academic Award of the Canadian Association of University Teachers. He was elected to the Delta Omega Honor Society and the Society of Scholars, both at John Hopkins University. He has served on several editorial boards (Biology of Reproduction, Reproduction, Journal of Andrology), is currently Editor-in-Chief of Biology of Reproduction. He has held/holds senior positions in a number of societies/organizations including Presidencies of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (1986-7), North American Testis Workshop (1989-91), American Society of Andrology (1993-4), Association francophone pour le savoir (ACFAS, 2002-3), and the McGill Association of University Teachers (2003-4).
Panel Discussion:
Peter McLeod, Timothy Geary and Jeffrey Coull
Moderator: Daniel Bernard
The Pharmaceutical Industry and Society:
Roles, Expectations, and Responsibility
May 24, 2010
Peter J. McLeod
Dr. McLeod was born and raised in Ontario and did his medical studies at the University of Manitoba. Following receipt of his MD degree Dr. McLeod did further training at the University of Toronto and McGill University. The 5-years of postgraduate training he completed included a residency in Internal medicine and 2-years of basic pharmacology research plus one-year as a resident in Clinical Pharmacology. Following completion of his training and receipt of a specialist certificate in Internal Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Dr. McLeod was appointed as Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at McGill University. He was subsequently promoted to full-professor and recently was appointed as Director of the McGill Faculty of Medicine Centre for Medical Education.
Dr. McLeod has served as Director of the Undergraduate Education Committee in Internal Medicine and the Postgraduate Education Committee in Internal Medicine. He has been an active member of the Curriculum Committee and the Faculty Development Advisory Committee of the faculty of medicine.
He continues to carry on an active Internal Medicine practice at the Montreal General Hospital while pursuing research in education and in therapeutics. His McGill teaching role relates to undergraduate teaching in Medicine and Pharmacology, postgraduate Internal Medicine training in the ambulatory care setting and continuing education of physicians in practice. He has published extensively in the education literature and is the recipient of a number of teaching awards.
Timothy Geary
Timothy Geary earned a BSc in biology from the University of Notre Dame in 1975, then a PhD in pharmacology from the University of Michigan in 1980. He then spent 5 years on the faculty of Michigan State University in the Department of Microbiology and Public Health working on chemotherapy of malaria in the lab and in the field. Dr. Geary joined The Upjohn Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1985 to lead a team in antiparasitic drug discovery. He rose to a senior leadership position in this area. Following the acquisition of the company by Pfizer, Tim joined the Institute of Parasitology at McGill in 2005 as a Tier I Canada Research Chair. He became Director of the Institute in 2008. Tim maintains an active collaborative research program on proteomic analysis of the host-parasite interface, focused on a disease called elephantiasis (lymphatic filariasis) in humans. He is developing a program in African-centered antiparasitic drug discovery and is involved in efforts to repurpose old drugs for use in neglected tropical diseases. Dr. Geary is a consultant for several pharmaceutical companies, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Tropical Diseases Research (TDR) arm of the World Health Organization, for which he serves on the Expert Drug Advisory Committee. Tim has published approximately 150 scholarly articles in his areas of expertise and is a frequent plenary lecturer at international conferences.
Jeffrey Coull
Jeffrey A.M. Coull co-founded Chlorion Pharma, Inc. in 2004, and has since served as the company's President and CEO. In this position, Dr. Coull has guided Chlorion's core strategy and research operations, and has secured private equity financing commitments of over $40M.
Previously, Dr. Coull was a management consultant, providing strategic and operational advisory services to life sciences companies, including several Fortune 500 clients. Dr. Coull earned his PhD in pharmacology from McGill University, and graduated with a BSc (Honours; SSP) in life sciences from Queen's University.
In 2006, Dr. Coull received a Doctoral Prize from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the highest distinction for doctoral research in the country.
Dr. Coull is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, and is a member of the UT Centre for the Study of Pain. He has authored several patent applications and scientific publications, including articles in Nature and the Journal of Neuroscience.
In addition to his frequent invitations to speak on the topics of commercialization, biotechnology and intellectual property, Dr. Coull has contributed to pieces in the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star, among others. He is also profiled in the February 2010 issue of Biotechnology Focus.
Dr. Coull serves on the board of Toronto Brigantine, Inc., a non-profit organization offering sail training programs to youth. He is married and has a young daughter.
Daniel Bernard
Dan Bernard was born and raised in New York City. He earned his Bachelor's degree from Carleton College (Northfield, Minnesota) followed by Master's and Ph.D. degrees from The Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland). Following postdoctoral training at Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois), he returned to New York to begin his independent research career as a Staff Scientist at the Population Council's Center for Biomedical Research at The Rockefeller University. In 2006, he joined the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill, where he is currently an Associate Professor. His lab investigates molecular mechanisms controlling reproductive hormone synthesis, which has implications for our general understanding of fertility regulation. His research program has been and/or continues to be funded by operating grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (USA). He is currently a Chercheur-boursier of the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec. Professor Bernard serves on the editorial boards of Endocrinology, Biology of Reproduction, and Journal of Molecular Endocrinology, and is a regular member of the Endocrinology Review Panel of the CIHR. He also serves on the Research Affairs Core Committee of the Endocrine Society and the Publications Committee of the Society for the Study of Reproduction. Professor Bernard is committed to the education and training of McGill undergraduates, graduate and medical students, and postdoctoral fellows.
