We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Aimee Ryan to the position of Associate Dean, Biomedical BSc, Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs, in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University.
Dr. Ryan takes over from Dr. Elaine Davis who for two years as Assistant Dean, Graduate Studies and then for two terms in the expanded Associate Dean role, initiated new programs, resolved problems and facilitated communication for over 4,000 postdoctoral fellows, and undergraduate and graduate students. She participated in the creation of many successful new graduate programs, ensuring continual improvement of the quality of education and research in the Faculty. Dr. Davis led the Faculty’s graduate support programs, in which she was responsible for fund distribution and allocation, and participated in award granting. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Davis for her outstanding contributions during the past decade and wish her ongoing success.
Dr. Ryan received her BSc in Genetics in 1985 from the University of Manitoba. She followed this with an MSc in Human Genetics in 1988 and a PhD in Biochemistry in 1994, both at Queen’s University. She then held a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of California, San Diego from 1994 to 2000.
Dr. Ryan joined McGill’s Faculty of Medicine in 2000 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics. She became Associate Professor of Pediatrics in 2010 and Associate Professor of Human Genetics in 2014. From 2013 to 2018 she was the Graduate Program Director in the Department of Human Genetics. She is currently Interim Deputy Executive Director and Deputy Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and Interim Head of Child Health Research at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.
Dr. Ryan’s own research focuses on morphogenesis, the process that drives organ formation in early embryonic development. Her laboratory is currently investigating the role of the claudin family of genes in the development of the left-right axis, neural tube closure, kidney development and the blood-testis barrier. She is the recipient of research grants from, among others, the Kidney Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.
Reporting directly to the Vice-Principal (Health Affairs)/Dean, as Associate Dean Dr. Ryan will be a liaison to the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) and the Faculty’s academic departments and schools. She will provide strategic guidance and oversight to the Faculty’s graduate programs and represent the educational interests of the biomedical science programs at the Education Leadership Council. She will also develop and implement interdisciplinary initiatives and oversee activities to ensure that the needs and priorities of the Faculty of Medicine are met with respect to education and training of students and postdocs in the biomedical BSc, and graduate and postdoctoral programs, including the MDCM & PhD program and the new BSc/MSc thesis track program.
Dr. Ryan will manage the annual allocation of GPS funding (over $4 million) to the individual graduate programs and various competitions, and provide strategic guidance for the use of these funds to enhance recruitment and retention. She will also organize and chair Graduate Program Directors and Graduate Program Coordinators meetings to discuss procedural issues, new policies and initiatives.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Ryan and wishing her every success as she embarks on her new role.
Dr. David Eidelman
Vice-Principal (Health Affairs)
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Dr. Lesley Fellows
Vice-Dean, Academic Affairs
August 2, 2018