Dr. W. Craig Vanderwagen, International Centre for Infectious Diseases Board Chairperson., Heather Medwick, ICID CEO and Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, President and Vice- Chancellor, UWinnipeg cut ribbon at new offices
WINNIPEG, MB – The University of Winnipeg today welcomed the International Centre for Infectious Diseases (ICID) and its 30 employees to campus as they moved into their new suite of offices on the main floor of the Richardson College for the Environment and Science Complex, opening the door to new research collaborations and synergies.
“Co-location with the International Centre for Infectious Diseases allows our researchers to tap into a new and critically important pool of expertise, most significantly, how to turn research into knowledge that can have real applications for people in the health field,” said Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, President and Vice- Chancellor. “UWinnipeg is part of a hub of leading innovative institutions within a few blocks – including the internationally known Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health. With construction of our new UNITED Health and RecPlex now underway, we are also developing relevant new academic programs dedicated to improving community health and wellness. There is great potential to partner with ICID in these areas.”
Housed in the same building as ICID, UWinnipeg’s department of Biology is already targeting diseases linked to viruses (Alzheimers and ALS), fungi (white-nose disease in bats) and protozoa (malaria). The interdisciplinary nature of infectious disease is such that recent work in the department of Physics (modeling infectious diseases) also fits perfectly into the ICID profile. Three UWinnipeg Mathematics & Statistics researchers recently published on influenza transmission through Nature, the world’s premier scientific journal.
Additionally, UWinnipeg hosts a biennial Summer Institute for Infectious Diseases, organized by Dr. Michael Eze (Chemistry), in partnership with ICID and the University of Manitoba, which provides a forum for renowned local and international clinicians and researchers in infectious diseases — as well as researchers and scholars in policy, business and economics — to present an overview of new knowledge in areas such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
“ICID is proud to join UWinnipeg’s dynamic and innovative academic institution, bringing our national centres and international activities to this thriving downtown campus,” said Ms. Heather Medwick, CEO, ICID. “We look forward to building on our relationship with UWinnipeg and to join the university in further profiling our city’s knowledge economy to global partners.”
ICID is a Canadian not-for-profit organization that, through its many projects and programs, provides innovative leadership and collaborative solutions to the global fight against infectious diseases such as HIV, influenza, meningitis, HPV and pneumonia. Key areas of expertise include knowledge translation, project management, and biosafety training.
BACKGROUND
UWinnipeg’s state-of-the-art Richardson College for the Environment and Science Complex, which opened in 2011, allows students and faculty alike to engage in cutting-edge research in biology, chemistry, environmental studies, Indigenous science and the social sciences in one of the most energy efficient educational buildings in North America.It also houses UWinnipeg’s sustainability initiatives and community learning programs, attracting leading researchers from around the world. The new UNITED Health & RecPlex on Spence Street will include a Health, Wellness and Healing Centre, slated for completion in 2013-2014. Students, faculty and health researchers will gain an important new resource and through collaborative community programs, increased access to hands-on academic research and practicum experiences.
International Centre for Infectious Diseases (ICID) is a Canadian, not-for-profit organization that brings people and resources together to catalyze solutions that target infectious diseases. Since 2004, ICID has been working to increase collaboration among researchers, physicians and public health specialists to help Canadians achieve greater protection and value from public health investment and infectious diseases innovation. ICID’s four major areas of activity include optimizing disease prevention strategies and technologies; enhancing the biosafety and biosecurity of laboratories, hospitals and communities; moving innovation into public health practice and the marketplace; and improving evidence-based decision making in public health.
MEDIA CONTACT
Diane Poulin, Communications Officer, The University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7135, E: d.poulin@uwinnipeg.ca
