Toby Le

Toby Le is a PhD student from the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the University of Manitoba, studying under the supervision of Drs. Keith Fowke and Julie Lajoie. As part of his doctoral studies, he works with a community of female sex workers from Kenya to investigate the effects of a common injectable contraceptive, Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA), on the immune system and its implications on HIV susceptibility. Beyond his academic studies, Toby is also a research assistant at the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID), where he has led several public health knowledge translation projects, including a COVID-19 variants tracking webpage that curated over 18,000 views. Currently, Toby is working with the NCCID and the Public Health Agency of Canada to organize stakeholder engagement sessions on the Pan-Canadian Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance.

The National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID) and the Canadian Foundation for Infectious Diseases (CFID) offer the Infectious Diseases Knowledge Translation Awardto encourage student involvement in knowledge translation and health promotion on preventing and controlling infectious diseases. The award is presented to an undergraduate student, graduate student, or clinical trainee annually, in recognition of outstanding knowledge translation or health promotion work done on infectious disease topics for public health audiences.

Wayne Leung

Wayne completed his medical school and Internal Medicine Residency at UBC and is currently a PGY-4 in Infectious Diseases at the University of Western Ontario. His research interests include the management of infectious diseases in marginalized populations. Wayne is very grateful to his mentors who have supported his research and career goals. After graduation, he hopes to complete additional training in addictions, and to practice a combination of infectious diseases and addictions medicine.   

Verity / CFID Resident Travel Award in Infectious Diseases
The Verity Pharmaceuticals grant is open to all residents (PGY1-PGY4) currently enrolled in internal medicine or paediatrics, with the intention of pursuing a subspecialty in infectious diseases with either an adult or pediatric focus. The award will support the travel costs of a medical or paediatric resident to attend the AMMI Canada – CACMID Annual Conference to present their research.

Dr. Connor Prosty

Connor Prosty, B.Sc., is a fourth-year medical student at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. He holds a B.Sc. in anatomy and cellular biology from McGill University. His research  pertains to opportunistic infections, focusing on diagnostic and antimicrobial stewardship. 

The goal of the altona Diagnostics Canada Medical Student Research Award is to provide support for medical students who are interested in research in infectious diseases and microbiology. The award is funded for $5,000 for a 10–12-week summer research term, or for a research project performed intermittently over the course of one academic year.

Dr. Yerin (Rina) Lee

Yerin (Rina) Lee is a medical student at the University of Toronto. She received an Honours Bachelor of Science degree with High Distinction from the University of Toronto and is a previous Fulbright Canada Killam Fellow. Her research interests include the optimization of diagnostic and antimicrobial resistance testing methods in the clinical laboratory, as well as the role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in improving testing accuracy, turnaround times, and data management and analysis practices in the laboratory. 

The goal of the AMMI Canada – CFID Medical Student Research Award is to provide support for medical students who are interested in research in infectious diseases and microbiology. This award is funded for $5,000 for a 10–12-week research term, performed consecutively over the summer or intermittently over the course of one academic year.

Dr. Anthony Lieu

MD

Dr. Anthony Lieu is a recently dual board-certified infectious diseases and medical microbiologist physician. He completed his fellowship training at the University of Calgary and McGill University, respectively. He is currently completing a clinical fellowship in immunocompromised host infectious diseases at Stanford University. His research interests include diagnostics in immunocompromised hosts, with a focus on molecular tools and medical mycology, particularly with invasive fungal infections.

Dr. Juan A. Embil Trainee Award for Excellence in Infectious Diseases Research
Dr. Juan A. Embil held the positions of Professor of Microbiology and Community Health and Epidemiology and Associate Professor of Paediatrics at Dalhousie University. His research included numerous studies on cytomegalovirus, Chlamydia trachomatis, hepatitis B, arboviruses and a multitude of other pathogens and clinical conditions observed in the Atlantic provinces. The prize in his name is offered to a current or recent trainee whose published work will have a far-reaching and durable impact on the health of Canadians.

Dr. Donald Vinh

MD, FRCPC, FCIS, FAMMI

Dr. Vinh is Infectious Disease physician, Medical Microbiologist and Section head (ID-Hematology-Oncology/Transplant) at the McGill University Health Centre. He is Fonds de recherche du Québec–Santé Senior Clinician-scientist. As the Director of the Centre of Excellence for Genetic Research in Infection and Immunity, his translational research program aims to decipher how molecular defects of human immunity contribute to infections that are recurrent, recalcitrant, and/or unusually severe in patients. Dr. Vinh has been instrumental in shaping several generations of ID/MM clinicians and clinician-scientists, emphasizing the importance in better understanding human immunity — and how it fails — in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. 

The Dr. John Embil Mentorship Award in Infectious Diseases celebrates the commitment of a member of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada to inspire interest and excitement in the field of infectious diseases. The award recognizes a clinical specialist in infectious diseases who has performed extraordinary service as a mentor to junior clinicians, faculty, fellows, and students involved in the field of infectious diseases.

Dr. Jonathan Gubbay

MBBS, FRCPC

The CACMID Mentorship Award is a new award, created to recognize an individual who has demonstrated a consistent and impactful commitment to mentoring trainees in the fields of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases.

Dr. Angela Ma

PhD, D(ABMM), FCCM

The recipient of the CACMID Michael R. Mulvey Studentship Award is Dr. Angela Ma for her article titled “Use of genome sequencing to resolve difference in gradient diffusion and agar dilution antimicrobial susceptibility testing performance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates in Alberta Canada”

Angela Ma is a Clinical Microbiologist at Public Health Ontario overseeing the Mycobacteriology Laboratory Section. She is a certified medical laboratory technologist and holds a PhD in Laboratory Medicine and Pathology with Specialization in Molecular Pathology from the University of Alberta (2021). Dr. Ma was a postdoctoral research fellow at Alberta Precision Laboratories and then completed a CPEP fellowship in Medical and Public Health Laboratory Microbiology at the University of Utah and ARUP Laboratories in 2023. She is a diplomat of the American Board of Medical Microbiology and Fellow of the Canadian College of Microbiologists. Her research interests include molecular diagnostics and epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance, and applications for next generation sequencing to support microbiology diagnostics and public health surveillance efforts.

Dr. Mel Krajden

O.B.C, MD, FRCPC

Mel Krajden O.B.C., MD, FRCPC is the former Medical Director of the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) Public Health Laboratory, and Medical Head of Hepatitis at the BCCDC. He is now a Microbiologist, Special Projects at the BCCDC. He is also a Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia. He was a Co-applicant on the $6.8 M Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funded HPV “FOCAL Trial” which was designed to determine if primary HPV testing can replace Pap and/or co-testing as a screening modality. He oversaw the HPV DNA, mRNA, and genotyping testing assays that were used during the FOCAL trial. He has extensive clinical trials expertise and has received CIHR and/or other peer reviewed funding in the fields of human papillomavirus, HIV, hepatitis C virus, and COVID-19. He was also a Co-PI/Mentor for CIHR funded Canadian Hepatitis C Network (CanHepC) and has >360 publications.

Dr. Jeffrey Wong

MD

The recipient of the JAMMI Trainee Published Manuscript Award is Dr. Jeffery Wong for his manuscript titled “Establishing obstetrics-specific metrics and interventions for antimicrobial stewardship”

The JAMMI Trainee Published Manuscript Award  is to promote scholarship amongst infectious disease and/or medical microbiology trainees. It is awarded for excellence in scholarship as demonstrated by the publication of a scientific article in JAMMI, the Journal of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada.

Dr. Jordan Mah

MD

Dr. Jordan Mah is the recipient of the AMMI Canada Trainee Research Award for his manuscript titled “Superior Accuracy of Aspergillus Plasma Cell-Free DNA Polymerase Chain Reaction Over Serum Galactomannan for the Diagnosis of Invasive Aspergillosis”

The AMMI Canada Trainee Research Award is given to a trainee to promote scholarship among trainees. It is awarded for excellence in a scientific article on a selected topic within the disciplines of infectious disease and medical microbiology

Dr. Catherine Hogan

MD, CM, FRCPC

Catherine Hogan is a medical microbiologist and infectious diseases physician with a passion for innovative diagnostic methods, and clinical and public health impact​. She is based at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, with joint appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia. She completed infectious diseases training (2017) at McGill University, a medical microbiology fellowship at Stanford University (2018) and a global health diagnostics fellowship at Stanford University (2020). During her fellowship, she led a multidisciplinary team that completed proof-of-concept work demonstrating the successful adaptation of a novel and universal metabolomics method for infectious diseases diagnostics, which she continues to expand through her current research. Her work has been recognized through several awards including the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada. Furthermore, she serves as associate editor for the Journal of Clinical Virology (2020-) and as editorial board member for the Journal of Clinical Microbiology (2023-). When not at the laboratory or navigating clinical ID service, she can be found enjoying beautiful west coast terrain – trail running, mountain biking or skiing with her family.

Dr. Adam Komorowski

MD

Dr. Adam Komorowski is a final-year medical microbiology resident at McMaster University, where he will be continuing as a part-time assistant professor in the fall. He is completing a master’s degree focusing on whole genome sequencing under Drs. Dominik Mertz and Marek Smieja through the Clinician-Investigator Program’s Ontario Ministry of Health-funded fellowship. Adam has published over 30 peer-reviewed papers, including guidelines co-authored with the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table. Current research interests include vaccine clinical trials, diagnostic test meta-analysis techniques, and diagnostic test utilization.

The AMMI Canada Fiona Smaill Award is a new award. The award celebrates the legacy of Dr. Fiona Smaill by recognizing her profound contributions as a female microbiologist, infectious diseases clinician, and researcher. Established to honour her dedication, commitment, passion, and scholarship, this award is presented to a trainee who has demonstrated excellence in the areas of infectious disease and or medical microbiology.

Dr. Lionel Ari Mandell

MD, FRCPC, FRCP (LOND), FAMMI

Dr. Mandell returned to Canada in 1978 after completing training in internal medicine and infectious diseases at Harvard. With others  he helped convince the Royal College of Physicians Canada that infectious diseases should be a clinical sub -specialty within  Departments of Medicine. He established the infectious disease service and the training programme in infectious diseases  at McMaster and mentored numerous trainees over the years.

He was  President of the Canadian Infectious Disease Society from 1988 to 1989 then President of the Canadian Foundation for Infectious Diseases and the Foundation for Research and Development in Infectious Diseases from 1994 to 2000.

During his  career he spearheaded several  major international clinical trials involving serious infections particularly pneumonia and  still remains active on data monitoring boards for new drug development in treatment of  pneumonia. He sits on the editorial boards of 14  journals and has  published 208 papers including in the New England Journal of Medicine and 51 book chapters. This includes  being the senior author of the “PNEUMONIA” chapter in Harrison’s Textbook of Medicine.  He’s co edited two  textbooks;  one on general infectious disease and one on respiratory infections.

He’s been invited to 62 countries as a visiting professor, consultant and adviser to universities, hospitals, governments and research groups and made key contributions to the management and treatment of pneumonia and is considered an international leader in this area. One of his major achievements has been as co -chair of the  IDSA/ATS Guidelines on CAP. As described by Dr. Rotstein “ this set the bar for how guidelines should be formulated.”

He has received numerous awards including the Zinner Lecturer at Harvard , an Honourary Fellowship in the Royal College of Physicians London, the Who’s Who of Medical Sciences Award, The Visiting Health Expert Award from the Government of Singapore, the Distinguished Service Award from the Canadian Infectious Diseases Society, the Faculty of Medicine Award for Academic Achievement from McMaster University and the Best Doctors in Canada Award.

His greatest and most rewarding accomplishment is his family.  His wife Nancy of over 50 years and their three sons and families including seven grandchildren.

Dr. Guy Boivin

MD, MSc, FRCPC, FCAHS, FRSC

Dr. Guy Boivin is a medical virologist/infectious disease specialist working at “Québec City University Hospital Center” in Canada since 1994. Dr. Boivin is also a professor of Pediatrics at Laval University and a senior researcher in Virology at the “Research Center in Infectious Diseases” of the same University.

Dr. Boivin holds a MD from Laval University, a master (MSc) degree in microbiology from University of Montréal and a 3-year specialized research training (Fellowship) in Molecular Virology from University of Minnesota.

Dr. Boivin was the holder of the Canada Research Chair on Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses (2006-2020). His research is supported by a prestigious Foundation grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR, 2016-24, CDN $ 4 million) and by several private contracts. His research interests concern the diagnosis, pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of respiratory virus diseases caused notably by influenza, human metapneumovirus and coronaviruses as well as herpesvirus infections caused by cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex viruses. He is mainly recognized for his work on the mechanisms of resistance of influenza to neuraminidase inhibitors and of cytomegalovirus resistance to ganciclovir. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his team was awarded an important CIHR grant to discover compounds inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 by transcriptomic analysis and 3D modeling of viral proteins. He is currently the co-PI (with Dr Manuel Rosa-Calatrava, Lyon, France) of the RespiVir international laboratory devoted to the study of respiratory viruses.

Dr. Boivin has published 406 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters (H factor: 85) and presented more than 90 invited conferences and 300 abstracts. He served on the Editorial board of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, in which he has published more than 45 articles. He is co-founder of two companies: Signia Therapeutics for the development of immunomodulatory compounds against respiratory viruses and Vaxxel for the generation of live-attenuated chimeric vaccines against pneumoviruses. He was elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences in 2018 and of the Royal Society of Canada in 2020.