Director’s Message

In the summer of 2019, I accepted the unique opportunity to become the new Director of the CMMT. Since that time, I’ve met with many members of our community as part of my goal to get to know the people, history and operations within our centre. We are a diverse and rich community from different backgrounds but with a shared passion for research.

One of my goals as incoming director is to bring people in the CMMT together more often, through research and social events, so we can all learn more about each other and our research, and celebrate our successes.

With that in mind, we will introduce a CMMT newsletter and it will become the “go-to” place for learning about recent papers and social events as well as upcoming awards, grants and conferences, and stories about the people who make up the CMMT.

As 2020 unfolds, I hope to bring in some new initiatives and a strategic plan to guide CMMT over the next five years and beyond. The newsletter will also provide a useful platform for information sharing around these initiatives.

I joined the BCCH research campus in 1997, shortly before CMMT came to the BCCH site in 1998. Now in its 25th year, I’ve always admired CMMT’s reputation of research excellence, and its strong sense of community. I have led the diabetes research program at the BCCH Research Institute for more than 15 years now, and I’m proud of what we’ve built.  With that spirit, I’m excited to take on this new role as director of the CMMT. I hope to help the Centre grow, perhaps finding new research directions and initiatives, and enhancing strengths in areas such as pediatric and precision health.

I look forward to working with you in 2020!

 

Bruce Verchere, PhD

Director, Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics

BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Professor, Departments of Surgery and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine

Irving K. Barber Chair in Diabetes Research, University of British Columbia