Brain researcher inducted into Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
University of Manitoba professor and alumnus Marc Del Bigio was inducted as a Fellow into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) at a ceremony on Sept. 14.
Marc Del Bigio
“It is a great honour to have been elected to the CAHS,” says Marc Del Bigio. “I hope to use my broad experiences in studies of neurological diseases to offer guidance for future research which will ultimately benefit the health and well-being of Canadian citizens.”
Del Bigio, a Canada Research Chair in Developmental Neuropathology and research scientist at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, received the honour in recognition of his achievements in pediatric and developmental neuropathology.
He is a world expert in the diagnosis of pediatric disorders of the nervous system and a highly sought out educator who has won numerous awards including the 2014 Mentor of the Year by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
His research on the accumulation of fluid surrounding the brain, called hydrocephalus, is second to none. And after developing a deep understanding of this condition, the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences professor is now developing a biologically-based method for treating the condition.
“I congratulate Dr. Del Bigio on this most deserved accomplishment. He is truly the quintessential example of the ‘triple threat’ in academic medicine. He is an outstanding researcher, a first rate diagnostician, and superb teacher,” says Digvir Jayas, vice-president (research and international) and Distinguished Professor at the University of Manitoba.
Fellows are chosen by their peers based on their demonstrated leadership, creativity, distinctive competencies and commitment to advancing academic health sciences.
“Dr. Del Bigio is well deserving of this prestigious honour. He is an asset to the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences and University of Manitoba as an outstanding clinician-scientist and mentor and advisor to many undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students,” says Brian Postl, Dean, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences and Vice-Provost (Health Sciences).
The University of Manitoba now has 27 Fellows of the CAHS.
About Marc Del Bigio
Dr. Marc Del Bigio is an internationally recognized clinician-scientist. He conducts innovative research to understand how the developing brain can be damaged while in the mother’s womb or following birth. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 19 book chapters. His program has been consistently funded by grants since 1994. He was honored as the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Developmental Neuropathology from 2004 to 2018. Dr. Del Bigio also works as a neuropathologist, with special interest in forensic neuropathology. As a Professor of Pathology, he is active in training the next generation of Manitoba pathologists and researchers.
Research at the University of Manitoba is partially supported by funding from the Government of Canada Research Support Fund.