Earlier this year, University president Jacques Frémont lauded the creation of a School of Pharmaceutical Sciences as one of the most exciting projects on the table at the University of Ottawa, particularly for la Francophonie. Fully approved over the summer, the new School will initially offer a four-year French-language undergraduate PharmD program in pharmacy starting in 2023; aimed at Francophone clientele, it will train students to practice the profession of pharmacist and aims to meet the need for Francophone and bilingual pharmacists in minority communities. The School is already planning to expand with a graduate program and a program in pharmacology. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Figeys and his renowned expertise in systems biology to lead this important initiative.
Dr. Figeys has been a member of our Faculty since 2004, since which time he has exemplified excellence in research and leadership. He is a full professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology (BMI) and is a member of the Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology; until August 2019 he served as Chair of BMI, leading with insight and dedication over his six-year term. He currently holds the appointment of Interim Director of Innovation and Partnerships for the Faculty.
Since establishing his laboratory in 2004, Dr. Figeys has made great contributions to research excellence at the University. His highly competitive and collaborative research programs study systems biology down to the protein level, including the interaction between a host and its gut microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease and Alzheimer’s disease. His work toward the development of technologies to assist in protein bioanalysis include a bioinformatics platform to identify and quantify metaproteomes and an assay to explore how compounds such as drugs interact with the gut microbiome. Dr. Figeys has over 200 per-reviewed publications to date and has been cited over 18,000 times.
Congratulations Dr. Figeys!