Paul Lasko appointed scientific director of CIHR’s Institute of Genetics

Ottawa, ON – Dr Paul Lasko has been appointed scientific director of Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)’s Institute of Genetics.

“Dr Lasko is a welcome addition to the CIHR leadership team,” said Dr Beaudet, president of the CIHR. “His accomplishments in developmental genetics, RNA protein interactions and functional genomics as well as his proven leadership make him the ideal candidate to take CIHR Institute of Genetics forward.”

Dr Lasko is currently the chair of the department of biology at McGill University, he holds the James McGill professorship and was Molson Chair of Genetics from 2001 to 2007. He has been highly active in research grant adjudication and has served on CIHR or Canadian Cancer Society grant panels continuously since 1995. He is a member of the Institute of Genetics Priority and Planning Committee for Developmental Genetics and Birth Defects.

“I am honoured and excited to be taking on the challenge of directing the Institute of Genetics at a time when a “genetic revolution” is bringing the field to an entirely new level that promises to impact profoundly on diagnostic procedures, preventative medicine, and clinical interventions,” said Dr Lasko.