How I Became a Leech Expert

Canadian Mark Siddall did his graduate work in blood parasitology at the University of Toronto. It was there that he began to study leeches as a source of blood parasites and went on to become one of the world’s foremost experts in the study of leeches.

Did you know that leeches are used to study animal biodiversity over large geographical territories? Instead of hunting down hundreds of animals in the Amazon, scientists collected leeches and sequenced the blood meal from their feeds in order to find out which rare and endangered species were located in the same geographical areas.

Find out many other cool facts from Dr. Siddall in this video that was filmed this past summer at the World Science Festival.

McGill profs among ‘Most Influential Scientific Minds’

Highly Cited Researchers 2014 represents some of the world’s leading scientific minds. Over three thousand researchers earned the distinction by writing the greatest numbers of reports officially designated by Essential Science Indicators as Highly Cited Papers—ranking among the top 1% most cited for their subject field and year of publication, earning them the mark of exceptional impact.

The lone professor from a Canadian institution cited in the Neuroscience and Behaviour category is Alan C. Evans, Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Medical Physics, and Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Evans has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers, holds numerous CIHR grants, and serves as co-Principal Investigator on many NIH-funded projects. During his 25 years at the Montreal Neurological Institute, he has held numerous leadership roles, most notably as director of the McConnell Brain Imaging Centre. Dr. Evans is a founding member of the International Consortium for Brain Mapping. He was one of the founders of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, serving in numerous positions on the OHBM Council since 1995. He regularly participates in NIH workshops, panels and initiatives related to brain imaging research.

Thank you to McGill for contributing this story.

When Science Mimics Hockey

Celebrating Tony Pawson’s impact on science

When I was a graduate student at the University of Toronto, the name Tony Pawson stirred up feelings of respect, admiration and awe. Sadly, his untimely passing has left a gaping hole in the Toronto scientific community, however, Tony’s legend lives on.

A symposium was recently held in his honor. See the story below as reported by the Lunenfeld-Tannenbaum Research Institute.

Brilliance, curiosity, passion, humour, generosity, competitiveness.

It was no surprise that these qualities were exemplified throughout How Cells Communicate: A Symposium in Celebration of Tony Pawson’s Impact on Science. One scientific giant after another cited them as qualities that shone throughout Dr. Pawson’s life in science as they presented their latest research and reminisced about their interactions with him.

Read more…

Max Cynader Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Laureate 2014