Our Team
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Dr. Christian Lehmann, MD, FRPCP, Professor, Department of Anesthesia, Pain Mgmt & Perioperative Medicine, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Pharmacology; Dalhousie UniversityProfessor Lehmann’s research interests include the immune consequences of local and systemic inflammation (e.g., sepsis, stroke), intravital imaging of the microcirculation in animal models and clinical studies, and the development of new pharmacological approaches for inflammation and infection. Email: clehmann@dal.caResearch InterestsDr. Lehmann has 25 years of experience in experimental and clinical inflammation research. He established experimental intravital imaging laboratories in Berlin and Greifswald, Germany. His focus of research is the microcirculation, i.e. capillary blood flow, cell-cell-interactions, and endothelial pathology. |
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Dr.Bahaa Abu-Raya, MD, PhD,Division of Infectious Diseases, Assistant Professor,Department of Pediatrics , Department of Microbiology & Immunology; Dalhousie UniversityDr. Bahaa Abu-Raya, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Departments of Pediatrics and Microbiology & Immunology at Dalhousie University. He is also an Active Staff member in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the IWK Health Centre and a Clinician-Scientist and Principal Investigator at the Canadian Center for Vaccinology. Dr. Abu-Raya’s research focuses on immunology, infectious diseases, vaccinology, immunization in pregnancy and early life, pertussis, RSV, and clinical trials. He completed his MD at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his PhD and clinical fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of British Columbia. His work has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship and the Michael Smith Health Research BC Award. Email: Bahaa.AbuRaya@dal.caResearch InterestsDr. Abu-Raya is a Pediatric Infectious Diseases Clinician-Scientist at the Canadian Center for Vaccinology. His research during the past decade has mainly been in the field of maternal pertussis immunization. Specifically, identifying the ideal timing of vaccination in pregnancy; the need to vaccinate during each pregnancy; the induction of anti-Bordetella pertussis antibodies in breast milk; the effect of maternal vaccination on avidity of anti-Bordetella pertussis antibodies using a novel laboratory approach; and the effects of pertussis immunization in pregnancy on infants’ vaccines immune responses. Many of the studies he has led have contributed to practice-changing immunization policies in Canada and other several countries. He has also been a leader of several consensus papers and authored textbook chapters and commentaries in the field of maternal immunization. Dr. Abu-Raya’s research program at the Canadian Center for Vaccinology uses laboratory-based cutting-edge assays that measure the functions of antibodies that are induced after vaccination and infection to answer clinically-relevant and translational questions in the field of vaccination in pregnancy to protect mother-infant dyads. His work focuses on developing and evaluating ways to improve vaccines and make them better able to fight infectious diseases. Dr. Abu-Raya is an international expert leader in his field and collaborates on several studies nationally with scientists and healthcare providers at Dalhousie University, the IWK, Nova Scotia Health, other Canadian institutions and internationally. |
Dr.Melissa Andrew, MD, MSc Public Health, PhD, FRCPC,Professor,Division of Geriatric Medicine , Department of Medicine , Department of Community Health and Epidemiology; Dalhousie UniversityDr. Melissa Andrew is a staff geriatrician and professor of geriatric medicine at Dalhousie. She completed her MD at Dalhousie, a Masters of Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and her residency training in internal medicine at Dalhousie. She also completed her interdisciplinary PhD on the topic of social vulnerability in older people. Research interestsDr. Andrew’s research interests relate to frailty, social vulnerability, vaccinology and cognitive impairment. As an Associate Member of the Canadian Center for Vaccinology, she studies how frailty impacts vaccine effectiveness and outcomes of vaccine preventable infections. As an investigator in the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging, she studies frailty and social context in relation to dementia. She collaborates with colleagues in primary care and social gerontology to study how models of care impact older people’s health and Quality of Life. She has been a long-time member of the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia Board of Directors and Research Advisory Committees and is a member of Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI). |
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Dr. Lisa Barrett, MD, PhD, FRCPC, Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Department of Pathology, Dalhousie UniverisityDr. Lisa Barrett, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist specializing in infectious diseases and immunology. She completed her BSc (Hons), MD, and PhD at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She underwent residency training at Dalhousie University, where she served as Chief Medical Resident, followed by a fellowship in Adult Infectious Diseases at the University of Toronto. She later completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH. Her research focuses on immunology, vaccinology, hepatitis C, chronic viral infections, aging, immune senescence, HIV, and CMV. Research InterestsDr. Lisa Barrett studies immune responses in chronic and persistent viral infections (HIV, CMV, HCV); the role of chronic viral infection in chronologic and immunologic aging; interactions between innate and adaptive immunity in chronic viral infection and the modulation of the immune response to generate therapeutic and prophylactic vaccines in persistent viral infections. Clinically Dr. Barrett is also interested in treating viral infections in underserved and incarcerated populations. External Website:The Senescence, Aging, Infection & Immunity Laboratory (SAIL) Website |
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Dr. Michael Bezuhly, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery , Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Dalhousie UniversityDr. Michael Bezuhly is an Assistant Professor in Departments of Surgery and Microbiology and Immunology at Dalhousie University. Originally from Toronto, he speaks English, Russian and French. He completed his undergraduate degree at McGill University in 1999 and his medical degree at the University of Toronto in 2003. During his residency training in plastic surgery and in the Clinician-Investigator Program he obtained graduate degrees in Anatomy and Neurobiology from Dalhousie University and Epidemiology from Harvard University. After completing residency training at Dalhousie University in 2010, Dr. Bezuhly received additional subspecialty training in pediatric plastic surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children, and in pediatric craniofacial surgery at the Hopital Necker-Enfants Malades in Paris, France. Email: mbezhuly@dal.ca
Research InterestsDr. Bezuhly joined the IWK Health Centre in January 2012 as an attending craniofacial and plastic surgeon. His principal clinical interests include craniofacial remodeling, cleft lip and palate repair, ear reconstruction and obstetrical brachial plexus reconstruction. He is the primary plastic surgeon on the Cleft Palate Team and has helped to establish the multidisciplinary Craniofacial Clinic at the IWK. As a clinician-scientist, he has numerous peer-reviewed publications and holds several research grants. He continues to pursue the epidemiological research in which he was involved during his graduate studies at Harvard University. He also conducts laboratory research into novel treatments for abnormal scars, the link between clotting and cancer spread, and the use of stem cells to improve craniofacial healing. |
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Dr. Bob Bortolussi, PhD, Professor Emertius, Dalhousie UniversityResearch InterestsDr. Bortolussi is a former Vice President of Research of the IWK Health Centre and is Professor Emeritus of Paediatrics at Dalhousie University. He edited “The Handbook for Clinician Scientists” which is used in many Universities in Canada and as part of the MicroResearch Curriculum. He is a fellow of Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and President of the Global Health Section of the Canadian Paediatric Society. He is presently the editor of Clinical and Investigative Medicine (CIM). |
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Dr. Jeanette Boudreau, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Department of Pathology, Dalhousie UniversityDr. Jeanette Boudreau, PhD, is an Associate Professor whose research focuses on host defense, natural killer (NK) cell biology, cancer immunology, immunogenetics, inflammation, immunoregulation, spatial biology, and humanized animal models. She earned her BSc from the University of Waterloo and completed her PhD at McMaster University. Dr. Boudreau then pursued postdoctoral training at the prestigious Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she deepened her expertise in cancer immunology and NK cell biology. Email:Jeanette.Boudreau@dal.caResearch InterestsWe investigate how human natural killer cell immunogenetics program immune responsiveness to cancer and infectious diseases. We use bioinformatics, humanized in vivo models, cell-signal analysis, and highly-parametric flow cytometry to understand how genetic variation creates diversity in human immune potentials. Our interdisciplinary and collaborative work aims to translate research findings into precision therapies. |
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Susan Bowles, VaccinologyResearch InterestsMy research is largely informed by clinical practice, where research questions regarding medication use are identified at the bedside. My primary research interests involve appropriate medication use in older patients and reducing vaccine-preventable diseases in older populations. |
Email: Bahaa.AbuRaya@dal.ca |
Dr. Jean Marshall, PhD, Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Dalhousie UniversityDr. Jean Marshall (Dalhousie University) is Canada's top academic immunologist and internationally recognized mast cell biologist with extensive experience in studies of mechanisms of inflammation. She brings extensive administration experience from her time as Department Head of Microbiology and Immunology. Email: jean.marshall@dal.caResearch InterestsDr. Marshall has a long term interest in the biology and function of mast cells in host defence and disease. This includes study of mast cells in models of viral infection, cancer and allergic disease such as asthma and food allergy. Her work often involves multidisciplinary teams of scientists and multiple research trainees. |
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Dr. Beata Derfalvi, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics , Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Dalhousie UniversityEmail: beata.derfalvi@iwk.nshealth.caDrs. Beata Derfalvi and Thomas Issekutz provide clinical immunology care to children throughout the Maritimes through an inpatient attending and consultation service and a weekly immunology outpatient clinic. The services focus on patients with chronic immunological conditions involving primary and secondary immunodeficiencies and autoimmune processes.
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Dr. Francesca Di Cara, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie UniversityEmail: dicara@dal.caResearch Interests Our research relies primarily on the use of Drosophila, a genetically amenable model system, to elucidate the previously unexplored role of peroxisomes as signaling platforms in the innate immune response. We demonstrated the peroxisome direct involvement in immune defense, with evidence of peroxisome requirements in phagocytic pathogen clearance and innate immune signaling in immune responsive tissue in flies and mammals. Peroxisomes are essential metabolic organelles present in every eukaryotic cell. Website https://dicara.wixsite.com/dicaralab
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Dr. John G. Hanly, MD, Professor, Department of Medicine, Department of Pathology; Dalhousie UniversityEmail: john.hanly@nshealth.caResearch InterestsDr. Hanly’s major research foci are pathogenic mechanisms and clinical outcomes in systemic lupus erythematosus, with emphasis on how lupus affects the brain and other parts of the nervous system. Dr. Hanly also collaborates on studies of pathogenic mechanisms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. He belongs to several national and international research networks involving clinical studies of systemic lupus erythematosus and received the Distinguished Investigator Award 2018 from the Canadian Rheumatology Association.
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Janice E. Graham, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS, Division of Infectious Diseases, University Research Professor, Department of Pediatrics , Department of Sociology and Social AnthropologyEmail: janice.graham@dal.ca
Research InterestsDr. Graham is an anthropologist of science, technology and medicine in the Department of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases). She studies the cultural, technical and moral tensions in regulating one health. Interested in the moral basis of profit when disease becomes a market opportunity, she works among those who develop, regulate, commercialize, implement and use emerging pharmaceuticals and vaccines to examine their safety and efficacy. |
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Dr. Shashi Gujar, DVM, PhD, MHA, Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology , Department of Microbiology & Immunology , Department of Biology, Dalhousie UniversityEmail: shashi.gujar@dal.caResearch InterestsDr. Gujar’s research program focuses on molecular and immunological aspects of human health, with special focus on cancer immunotherapies. His multi-disciplinary interests include Oncolytic viruses, Immunology and immunotherapies, Epitope discovery, Cellular biology and metabolism, Applied immunomics and Proteo-immuno-metabolomics. |
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Dr. Donna Halperin, PhD, Professor, School of Nursing, St. Francis Xavier UniversityEmail: dhalperi@stfx.ca
Research InterestsDr. Halperin’s applied research program focuses on vaccine program implementation and evaluation and health policy research. She has methodological expertise in mixed methods, survey research and grounded theory. Currently she is a co- investigator with the PHAC/CIHR Canadian Immunization Research Network that was established to provide Canada with a national capacity to undertake coordinated, evaluative research to inform public health policy relating to vaccine and vaccination. She is currently a Principal Investigator on a CIHR collaborative study in Nunavut and a Co-Investigator on a Public Health Agency of Canada funded program evaluation in Prince Edward Island. |
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Dr. Scott Halperin, MD, Professor, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Pediatrics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie UniversityEmail:
Research InterestsDr. Halperin’s research focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of pertussis and other vaccine-preventable diseases. |
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Dr. Todd Hatchette, MD, Professor; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; Chief, Division of Microbiology; Capital District Health Authority, Department of Pathology , Department of Microbiology & Immunology , Division of Infectious DiseasesEmail:todd.hatchette@nshealth.ca
As the Province’s only Medical Virologist and one of the Directors of Immunology and Virology at the QEII HSC I oversee the running of the clinical virology laboratory. I also oversee the anchor laboratory for the Severe Outcomes Surveillance Project in the PHAC/CIHR Influenza Research Network (PCIRN) |
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Dr. Ford Doolittle, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie UniversityResearch InterestsI examine prevailing concepts in genomics, molecular biology and microbial ecology, most often as these reflect understandings of evolution by natural selection. Particular concerns are multilevel selection theory, selection for differential persistence (instead of differential reproduction), holobiosis and selection on cycles and interactions, microbiology and the Modern Synthesis, origin of eukaryotes and cellular complexity, lateral gene transfer and the Tree of Life, and the meaning of “function”. |
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Dr. Thomas Issekutz, MD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics , Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Microbiology & Immunology , Department of Pathology, Dalhousie UniversityEmail: thomas.issekutz@iwk.nshealth.caResearch InterestsDr. Thomas Issekutz provides clinical immunology care to children throughout the Maritimes through an inpatient attending and consultation service and a weekly immunology outpatient clinic. The services focus on patients with chronic immunological conditions involving primary and secondary immunodeficiencies and autoimmune processes. |
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Dr. Brent Johnston, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Dalhousie University
Email: brent.johnston@dal.caResearch InterestsThe research in Dr. Johnston’s laboratory is focused on factors and cells that regulate the immune system in autoimmune disease and cancer. The laboratory studies white blood cell trafficking, activation, and effector functions in disease models. The current focus is on harnessing the immunoregulatory activities of a subset of white blood cells called natural killer T (NKT) cells to either boost beneficial immune responses (cancer) or dampen pathogenic immune responses (arthritis).
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Dr. Jason McDougall,PhD Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Department of Anesthesia, Pain Mgmt & Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University
Email: Jason.mcdougall@dal.caResearch InterestsDr. McDougall is an international expert on inflammatory mechanisms. Using animal models of rheumatoid .arthritis, osteoarthritis and joint injury, Dr. McDougall's laboratory employs an integrative approach to examine the role of nerves and neurotransmitters in controlling joint inflammation and pain.
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Dr. Nikhil Thomas, PhD, Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Division of Infectious Diseases, Dalhousie University
Email: n.thomas@dal.caResearch InterestsThe Thomas Lab investigates molecular mechanisms of disease in significant human pathogens. Projects employ advanced proteomic and genomic approaches, including innovative next generation DNA sequencing technologies. The overall aim is to discover pathogenic strategies that can be targeted for inhibition by new or existing drugs, thereby limiting human disease. The Thomas Lab is a welcoming and inclusive space for all people to explore scientific investigations.
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Dr. Zhenyu Cheng, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Dalhousie UniversityEmail: zhenyu.cheng@dal.caResearch InterestsDr. Cheng utilizes systems biology approaches to study the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. His research is relevant to multiple I3V research priorities including antimicrobial resistance, existing and emerging microbial threats, improved diagnostics directly related to infection and immunity, and inflammation. His goal is to identify signalling components in host immunity and bacterial pathogenesis pathways that can be exploited to treat pathogenic infections and enhance host immunity. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection and chronic inflammation in Cystic Fibrosis is a major translational research focus for Dr. Cheng. External Website: |
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Dr. Roy Duncan, PhD, Professor and Killam Chair in Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University
Email: roy.duncan@dal.ca
Research InterestsDr. Duncan’s research group discovered the reovirus fusion-associated small transmembrane (FAST) proteins, a novel family of virus-encoded fusogens that mediate cell-cell membrane fusion. His interests are focused on biochemical and biophysical analysis of the FAST proteins, cellular pathways involved in cell-cell fusion, and factors that affect actin dynamics during membrane fusion and cell migration. |
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Dr. Jillian Filliter, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Department of Physchology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University
Email: filliter@dal.ca
Research InterestsThe majority of Dr. Filliter's work is focused on ASD assessment in school-aged children and adolescents. She is also interested in health psychology and mental health-related interventions for youth with ASD. |
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Dr. Jun Wang, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology & ImmunologyDr. Wang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University, and a full member of the Canadian Center for Vaccinology, IWK Health Centre.
Research InterestsProfessor Wang’s research interests include (1) understanding the role of regulatory T cells and IL-17/IL-17R axis in host responses to intracellular bacterial infection and cancer; (2) development of prophylactic and/or therapeutic vaccines against infection and cancer. Email: jun.wang@dal.ca |
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Dr. karina topEmail: karina.top@dal.ca
Research InterestsDr. Karina Top’s research focuses on vaccine safety, including adverse events following immunization surveillance, the clinical management of patients who have experienced adverse events following immunization and vaccine safety and effectiveness in immune-compromised patients. Dr. Top is an investigator at the Canadian Center for Vaccinology, investigator with the Canadian Immunization Monitoring Program Active (IMPACT) and principal investigator of the Special Immunization Clinic Network in the Canadian Immunization Research Network. . |
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Dr. Yuan Zhou,PhD Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management & Perioperative Medicine
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Prof Herder, Matthew
Email: matthew.herder@dal.caResearch Interests
Professor Herder’s research interests cluster around biomedical innovation policy, with particular focus on intellectual property law and practices connected to the commercialization of scientific research. As part of a three-year research project funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Professor Herder (Principal Investigator) and a team of interdisciplinary researchers are currently collecting empirical evidence about the inter-relationships between commercialization laws, policies, and practices and emerging health researchers. The team will use the collected empirical evidence to explore a series of normative questions about the ongoing commercialization of academic science |
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Associ Prof Isenor, JenniferEmail: jennifer.isenor@dal.caResearch Interests
Dr. Jennifer Isenor’s research areas include evaluation of the scope of practice of pharmacists, including immunizing and prescribing; assessing the use of drug and health information resources by students and clinicians; and geriatric-related research, with a focus on appropriate medication use, including deprescribing. |
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Infection, Immunity, VaccinologyDavid KelvinResearch Interests
Kelvin and his research team a large part of their research in southeast Asia, where several new viruses have emerged in recent years: the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus, the H5N1 strain of avian influenza (bird flu) and the more recent H7N9 strain that can cause human infections. Being able to characterize a newly emerging influenza virus early is key to understanding whether it has the ability to spread from person to person, cause severe disease or cause a pandemic. |
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Infection, VaccinologyDenys KhaperskyyEmail: d.khaperskyy@dal.caResearch Interests
We study virus-host interactions with a focus on intrinsic cell defense mechanisms and their subversion by influenza viruses. Another area of interest in the lab is the biology of stress granules – cytoplasmic foci of messenger RNA-protein complexes that form in response to various types of stress, including viral infections |
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Morgan LangilleEmail: morgan.langille@dal.caResearch Interests
The focus of Dr. Langille's research is to better understand human-microbial interactions and how that can be used to improve human health. This includes leveraging novel genomic technologies and developing improved bioinformatic methods to process and integrate multi-omic data to aid in biological interpretation. These discoveries will hopefully lead to novel applications for diagnosis, therapeutics, and precision medicine. |
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Vaccinology Joanne LangleyEmail: joanne.langley@dal.caResearch InterestsDr. Langley is a pediatric infectious disease physician in the Department of Pediatrics and is cross-appointed in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology in the Faculty of Medicine. She is based at the IWK Health Centre and the Canadian Center for Vaccinology. She conducts studies on the prevention of infectious diseases using vaccines, from phase 1 (first in humans) through to efficacy trials (phase 3) and post-marketing studies of how well vaccines work when they are used in immunization programs (phase 4). These studies are done with collaborators in public health, industry, universities, and non-governmental organizations. Dr. Langley has a particular interest in prevention of respiratory infections such as Respiratory Syncytial Virus and influenza. Her work also focuses on vaccine policy and evidence-based decision making in immunization programs.
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Inflammation Jean-Francois LégaréResearch InterestsDr Légaré is the Head of Cardiac Surgery at the New Brunswick Heart Centre and Professor of Surgery at Dalhousie University Medicine New Brunswick located in Saint John New Brunswick
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Craig McCormickEmail: craig.mccormick@dal.caResearch InterestsOur research is focused on innate host antiviral defenses and the viral countermeasures that have evolved to subvert these defenses. We study two viruses, influenza virus and a cancer-causing herpesvirus known as KSHV. |
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Shelly McNeilResearch InterestsDr. McNeil is professor of medicine and clinical scholar at Dalhousie University. She is also the division head / service chief for the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Nova Scotia Health Authority and research director of the Division of Infectious Diseases. Dr. McNeil is an accomplished researcher who completed internal medicine training at Dalhousie, followed by a fellowship in infectious diseases at the University of Michigan School of Medicine. |
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Sharon OldfordResearch InterestsDr. Sharon Oldford is an immunologist who works with Dr. Barrett to coordinate SAIL’s basic science research projects. Her current research interests include investigating the effects of chronic viral infection on immune phenotype and functional changes and experimental models of immunologic aging. |
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Chris RichardsonEmail: chris.richardson@dal.caResearch InterestsMy research involves the molecular biology of measles, canine distemper, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B viruses. We are particularly interested in virus-host cell receptor interactions. Many of these receptors have been found to be highly up-regulated on cancer cells and can be targeted for therapy by recombinant oncolytic viruses. |
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Bruce SmithEmail: bruce.smith@dal.caResearch InterestsMy research interests are in the applicaton of Statistics to science and medicine. |
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Audrey SteenbeekEmail: a.steenbeek@dal.caResearch InterestsDr. Steenbeek is an Epidemiologist with expertise on Aboriginal sexual health, sexually transmitted infections, community based research and quantitative research methodology. Dr. Steenbeek received her PhD and Masters from UBC and her BScN from McMaster. She holds an active nursing practice at both the local ER department and in the north. Dr. Steenbeek has an appointment in Pediatrics at the IWK and is a member of the Health Policy & Knowledge Translation at the Canadian Centre of Vaccinology. |
